429: Chapter 429 Oath

True Monarch Lihuo's Dharma Body grew brighter and brighter, like a Heaven-reaching giant composed of flames.

He trod upon the black army fiends, Dao charms flowing around him, every gesture capable of stirring all the nearby Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Just by floating quietly in mid-air, the existing Laws of Heaven and Earth seemed to lose their effect; the Five Elements Fire Qi was exceptionally active, while all other attributes were suppressed.

Spirit Transformation Dao Lord!

The fifth Realm of Immortal cultivation, the final Realm of Qi Refining and Soul Transformation, and the final Realm before becoming an Ascension Immortal.

Such an existence was no longer mortal, but a veritable Land Immortal with a Lifespan of ten thousand years, witnessing the shifting of stars and the changing of the seas.

A Spirit Transformation Dao Lord masters a trace of the power of Laws and possesses the ability to change the world with a single thought; their Divine Thought can cover ten thousand miles, and where the heart desires, the far ends of the earth are but a step away.

Spirit merges with Law, the Dharma Image manifests of itself, and the Divine Thought reaches the heavens!

The Dharma Image is not the true body, but a projection of the Divine Soul; its strength varies with distance, anchors, and other factors. The flaming giant high in the sky was merely Daoist Lord Lihuo's Dharma Image, not his true body in person.

If a mere long-distance Divine Soul projection Dharma Image was this terrifying, wouldn't a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord be invincible?

The truth was not so simple; the root of a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord's power is Law, and Law is the rule of Heaven and Earth. Excessively manipulating the rules of Heaven and Earth would inevitably lead to a backlash from the world.

At best, the Divine Soul would be damaged, requiring a vast amount of time and treasures to nourish; at worst, it would wear down one's Lifespan and erode one's Foundation, making it difficult to recover. In extreme cases, it could even trigger the Heavenly Tribulation prematurely, leading to one's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, turning to ash and smoke.

Therefore, although Spirit Transformation Dao Lords were powerful, they rarely used the power of Law, and even more rarely fought to the death with Dao Monarchs of the same rank, unless the benefits significantly outweighed the backlash.

Liu Xuan did not know much about the level of a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord, nor was his knowledge complete. When Daoist Lord Lihuo's Dharma Image descended, he was truly a bit panicked, and he couldn't help but worry, both for Peach Blossom's safety and for his own exposure.

Daoist Lord Lihuo was precisely that newly promoted Dao Monarch of the Beast Taming Sect, the initiator of the Southern Border Pioneering War. Why would such a big shot suddenly appear?

Liu Xuan's thoughts occurred in an instant. High in the sky, after Daoist Lord Lihuo finished speaking, he raised a giant flaming hand and reached toward the black tree of the Peach Blossom Sect.

"Buzz!"

From the direction of the Demon Court, a giant blurred figure also condensed. Just as Daoist Lord Lihuo was about to touch the giant black tree, the figure reached out a pitch-black claw to intercept him.

"Junior, how about half each?"

A damp, cold, hoarse, and low aged voice rang out.

This figure's aura was even stronger than Daoist Lord Lihuo's. It was a giant python with four claws on its belly and a pair of wings on its back. Atop the snake's head stood an eerie old man dressed in a luxurious black robe.

Demon Saint Xuanyu!

The Lord of the Endless Demon Court. Compared to Daoist Lord Lihuo, who had only recently achieved Soul Transformation, he had already reached the Demon Saint cultivation level thousands of years ago. Although his Realm was still in the early stage of Soul Transformation, his heritage and methods were both stronger than Daoist Lord Lihuo's.

"Boom!!"

The giant hand and the claw collided; the Great Dao of Flame and the Great Dao of Darkness clashed, shredding space and scattering chaotic Law energy. A catastrophic fear, as if the world were about to be destroyed, swept outward.

Daoist Lord Lihuo withdrew upon contact, a hint of hesitation faintly appearing on his blurred face.

The war had only just begun. Although the Peach Blossom Sect had been conquered, it was only a small piece of land compared to the Endless Demon Court.

His strength was already a notch below Demon Saint Xuanyu's, and he was currently fighting on away ground. Continuing the fight would only put him at a disadvantage, so sharing half each was actually to his benefit.

Peach Blossom Secret Realm.

The moment she saw the two Incarnation Dharma Images appear, a bitter smile appeared on Peach Blossom Demon Lord's face, along with a trace of relief.

"As expected! If I had truly forced a Breakthrough, it wouldn't have been a narrow escape, but a certain death!"

The appearance of the two Soul Transformation Dharma Images was certainly not a sudden whim; they had likely been watching her for a long time.

Even if she had luckily broken through the Soul Transformation bottleneck, she would probably have just become rations for the two big shots!

Once a Cultivator becomes a Spirit Transformation Dao Lord, a Law Origin will condense within their body. This item is a great tonic for all Spirit Transformation Dao Lords; if they Cultivate the same type of Law, it can even directly enhance their understanding of the Great Dao.

Based on this point, breaking through to the Soul Transformation Realm is not only difficult because of the bottleneck, but also requires a trustworthy Dao Protector or a secret Breakthrough; otherwise, one is merely benefiting others at one's own expense.

The Beast Taming Sect and the Demon Court had simultaneously assisted her in completing the accumulation for the Myriad Spirits Grand Array, and Peach Blossom Demon Lord had long had a premonition of this, but she had no other choice.

She could only bet on the enmity between Demon Saint Xuanyu and Daoist Lord Lihuo, hoping they would restrain each other and give her a sliver of Opportunity to Breakthrough.

Once the Breakthrough was successful, she would only need a moment to master the power of Law, and then Demon Saint Xuanyu and Daoist Lord Lihuo would have to consider the issue of backlash. This was her only chance of survival.

Peach Blossom had previously thought she had a sliver of hope, but now it seemed like mere delusion. Demon Saint Xuanyu and Daoist Lord Lihuo could reach an agreement in an instant; there was none of the mutual restraint she had imagined.

Her thoughts raced, and seeing that Daoist Lord Lihuo was about to nod in agreement, Peach Blossom Demon Lord hurriedly said:

"Daoist Lord Lihuo, this Junior is willing to offer the 'blood fiend tree heart' and only asks to join the Beast Taming Sect. You do not need to share half with him!"

The blood fiend tree heart was a top-tier spiritual item Peach Blossom Demon Lord had refined after giving up on her Breakthrough, using the Void Realm Divine Stone she had obtained years ago as a catalyst and the blood fiends of billions of living beings as a Foundation.

Its rank barely reached the threshold of the Fifth Rank, allowing her to possess half-step Demon Saint combat power and indirectly master a trace of the Blood Fiend Law's power.

The huge commotion Peach Blossom Demon Lord had made these days was not a Breakthrough at all, but the condensation of the blood fiend tree heart. She had fooled everyone, which was why the first thing Daoist Lord Lihuo said after appearing was that she had broken the rules.

What Demon Saint Xuanyu meant by half each was not to divide Peach Blossom Demon Lord, but to divide that quasi-Fifth Rank spiritual item, the blood fiend tree heart.

"You're looking for death!!"

Before Daoist Lord Lihuo could make up his mind, Demon Saint Xuanyu suddenly flew into a rage. He let out a roar, and a pitch-black, ink-like dark aura spread toward the Peach Blossom Sect's mountain gate like a tide.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord was not afraid at all. A red light lit up at the trunk of the giant black tree beneath her, and then the sky-covering branches twisted frantically, lashing out violently toward Demon Saint Xuanyu's Dharma Image.

The dense dark aura was whipped out of shape, its color faded, and finally, it slowly receded.

The current Peach Blossom Demon Lord was not weak. Her Realm had reached the Nascent Soul Peak, and with the Fifth Rank treasure, the blood fiend tree heart, merged into her true body, plus the fact that this was her lair of a thousand years, her desperate fighting strength was comparable to a half-step Demon Saint.

Daoist Lord Lihuo and Demon Saint Xuanyu had not come in their true bodies, but only as Divine Soul projection Dharma Images. Although she could not win, she had the ability to influence the situation rather than being at their mercy.

Temporarily blocking Demon Saint Xuanyu's Dharma Image, Peach Blossom Demon Lord bowed to Daoist Lord Lihuo and said:

"If the Dao Monarch does not believe me, this Junior is willing to swear upon my future on the Great Dao. As long as the Beast Taming Sect accepts me, I am willing to offer the blood fiend tree heart and sign a Natal Spirit Beast Contract with a Beast Taming Sect Disciple within a hundred years, never to betray you."

After Peach Blossom Demon Lord finished speaking, she raised an index finger and forced out a sliver of her Divine Soul, writing the vow into runes with it. She then condensed them into a Seal Script and sent it flying toward Daoist Lord Lihuo's Dharma Image.