Lotus crown, dragon scale cloud-patterned boots, a wooden sword reaching the heavens; thus, the entire Unbroken City witnessed the dark golden dao sword wielded by the Wine Immortal's pháp tướng.
"Stop now, and we are still friends!" Jin Dafu's face was a mask of horror. Golden radiance emanated from him as he poured all his strength into the great formation. Instantly, the formation projected a formation diagram adorned with ancient runes, spanning ten thousand meters in length and width, soaring into the sky.
"To be friends with someone like you is a disgrace to this old Daoist," the Wine Immortal scoffed. The pháp tướng dao sword in his hand descended, and with it, a great river poured down from the nine heavens, seemingly endless. It was entirely composed of dao origin and abilities, possessing unimaginable power. The various domain lords beneath the formation diagram's sight trembled.
"Boom!" The dark golden dao sword collided with the formation diagram. The terrifying energy generated was as if the entire space had exploded. Unfathomable winds surged a thousand meters high, and even when they descended to the mortal realm, they remained fierce, tearing off the roofs of countless homes. The tremors even caused the earth to rumble!
"Hold steady!" Jin Dafu roared, his golden core's abilities surging through his meridians and pouring into the formation diagram. The other dozen or so followed suit, and the formation diagram in the sky solidified, intercepting the Wine Immortal Daoist's strike.
"Let's see how long you can last!" the Wine Immortal Daoist grunted, switching to a two-handed grip on his sword, exerting full force to crush the formation diagram. The surging wine river and the runes on the formation diagram clashed, consuming each other, neither yielding.
The entire Unbroken City was stirred by this terrifying battle. The timid hid indoors, peeking through window cracks at the sky. Those with strength directly soared into the air, heading towards the Golden Silver Merchant Guild, seemingly wanting to intervene. Even Yao Huo, who was in seclusion within the Demon Extermination Division, was awakened by the commotion and slowly opened his eyes.
Above the headquarters of the Golden Silver Merchant Guild, the Wine Immortal Daoist frowned.
He noticed that the number of ability users around them was increasing, and some were even unfamiliar, having not been seen in the Desolate Ancient Battlefield. They seemed to be trying to seize the Heavenly Book.
"It's about time. The fish are taking the bait, we can retreat!" the Wine Immortal Daoist transmitted a message to Xu Mu.
Below, while dodging the wind and waves from the aerial battle and reaping lives, Xu Mu heard the words. He carefully calculated the time and then shook his head.
"Still a little short, wait a bit longer!"
"Alright," the Wine Immortal Daoist exhaled heavily and continued to exert pressure on the formation diagram with his pháp tướng. The wooden sword spewed fire, heavenly thunder descended, and countless dao techniques bombarded it, greatly increasing the pressure on those below.
*Boom, boom, boom!!!*
"Lord Jin, we probably can't outlast him!" Hearing the sounds of thunder and fire filling the sky, several domain lords within the formation diagram turned ashen-faced, their strength utterly depleted.
"Don't worry, with such a large commotion, true powerhouses will soon be attracted. Then, it will be our turn to take the initiative!" Jin Dafu's expression was also grim, but as one of the four principal figures of the Golden Silver Merchant Guild, his strength and foundation were clearly far superior to the other domain lords. The only one on par with him in the arena was the Old Ancestor of the Wang family, but that individual was not within the formation!
"Damn it, he's in the sky, and I have no chance to make a move!" The Old Ancestor of the Wang family's black hair was disheveled, his bronze muscles bulged, tearing his clothes. Blood energy surged infinitely as he dodged with the help of Jin Dafu's formation, constantly searching for an opportunity to ambush the Wine Immortal Daoist.
However, he was merely a physical cultivator, and the sky was not his domain. Thus, he could only attack the lower body of the pháp tướng, but the pháp tướng's body was a manifestation of the Great Dao's rules, reaching through heaven and earth. Ordinary physical attacks were merely akin to scratching an itch.
"Shatter!" The Wine Immortal Daoist's expression turned cold. His dao robe billowed, and he controlled the pháp tướng to lift its foot, bringing forth a gust of wind. Then, it stomped down fiercely. Dao origin, laced with immense power, descended like an overturned mountain, crashing onto the formation diagram.
*Boom!*
A terrifying impact echoed. The formation diagram, sustained by the combined efforts of numerous domain lords, was stomped down by several thousand meters. The vast ocean of abilities fell vertically, causing the very ground of Unbroken City to tremble wildly. Countless houses began to show signs of shattering.
"If you continue, thousands will die because of you!" Jin Dafu shouted loudly.
"Truly despicable!" Hearing this, the Wine Immortal Daoist, though unwilling, could only clench his teeth and withdraw his hand, ceasing to press further.
"Hurry, put in more effort!" Seeing the Wine Immortal Daoist falter, Jin Dafu shouted triumphantly. The domain lords within the formation then injected double the amount of abilities, with some even transferring their vital blood. The formation diagram, spanning ten thousand meters in length and width, shot into the sky. Wind, fire, lightning, and electricity roared and intertwined, striking the Wine Immortal Daoist's pháp tướng.
*Rumble rumble rumble!*
The formation diagram rotated, and abilities erupted upon the Great Dao's laws. Terrifying abilities exploded on the pháp tướng's body, causing the Wine Immortal Daoist to stagger back several steps. The entire space vibrated as a result.
The Wine Immortal Daoist's face turned pale. As he retreated, his pháp tướng reached into the void and produced a talisman, attaching it to the dao sword and slashing downwards heavily. The roaring abilities on the formation diagram were instantly extinguished, and the Wine Immortal's pháp tướng regained its stability.
"We can't delay any longer. At most, one hundred breaths of time. If we can't finish it, we retreat immediately!" the Wine Immortal Daoist called out, his voice tinged with fatigue. Many domain lords had already arrived, their allegiances unclear but their presence undoubtedly dangerous. They had to end this quickly!
"Understood!" Xu Mu responded, then began counting down in his mind.
*Crack!*
He slashed his blade horizontally, and countless incoming weapons and abilities exploded in response. However, immediately after, even more intense attacks surged forward.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
Xu Mu's figure flickered, his blade techniques exquisite as he blocked wave after wave of abilities. Simultaneously, he seized an opportunity, lowered his body, and lunged towards the closest man, driving a punch into his chest.
*Thump!*
This punch was like a monk striking a bell. The man's flesh, bones, and tendons exploded, and he died on the spot.
"Seventy-seven seconds," Xu Mu muttered, exhaling a turbid breath. Then, he suddenly raised an eyebrow, for on his back, several bloody marks had been carved by unknown abilities that had seemingly drifted from nowhere.
"He's not dead from this? Such a robust physique!" a second-stage ability user stared at Xu Mu in astonishment, seeming to not understand why his abilities had been withstood by sheer physical force.
"No domain, he's not a Lord!" Xu Mu was injured, but Yin Jiao discovered the key point. He gritted his teeth and shouted, his expression filled with venom and shock.
He had wondered why Xu Mu never used his domain, whether facing a third or second-stage opponent, always relying on that blade or his fists. It turned out he wasn't a Lord at all and had no domain!
"You bastard, you're only a third-stage, how dare you be so arrogant! Everyone attack together!" Yin Jiao roared, rallying everyone to attack simultaneously. Simultaneously, a silver frost, like moonlight, surged from his body, spreading outwards and solidifying everything it touched.
"Attack together!" The other ability users also snapped back to reality. In the previous battle, they had retreated in fear of Xu Mu's reputation after only a few exchanges, leading to many tragic deaths. Now that the truth was revealed, they naturally sought revenge!
"Thirty-five seconds remaining, finish it quickly!" The battle seemed to have reached a stalemate. At this moment, an urgent voice echoed from the sky.
"Don't worry, in five seconds, you can come pick me up." Xu Mu replied calmly, sheathing his hunting knife.
Thus, facing the overwhelming tide of abilities surrounding him, he simply stood still, making no movement.
"Seeking death!"
The crowd was bewildered by his inaction. Yin Jiao believed Xu Mu was at his wit's end, resorting to pretense, but the next moment, his triumphant smile froze on his face.
*Dong dong dong dong dong dong dong!*
The crowd panicked as a profound humming, like the tolling of ancient temple bells, suddenly resonated through space, exuding overwhelming pressure that shook their minds. Everyone's actions momentarily halted.
"What is this!" Yin Jiao looked around, his face shocked, thinking Xu Mu had summoned some reinforcements. But then he realized there was no one else around. Instead, around Xu Mu, a cluster of ancient statues, with monstrous faces and fierce visages, in various poses, suddenly erupted.
These statues seemed to originate from primeval times, their terrifying aura spreading outwards like waves. Xu Mu merely took a step forward, and the zither and sword held by the statues chimed in unison. The outward shockwave effortlessly dispersed the torrent of incoming abilities, like a catastrophic flood surging past rebellious beasts, with no suspense or obstruction to the outcome.
As a result, all the ability users in the arena simultaneously spat blood, their faces filled with horror as they retreated several steps, their eyes wide with dread.
"So strong!" An ability user exclaimed, already harboring thoughts of retreat. But before he could react, Xu Mu's mental countdown reached the fourth second, and he stepped forward.
"Die!" Xu Mu stood with his hands behind his back, countless blade intents swirling around him. He descended the steps, each step shattering the ground as if stomping on everyone's hearts. Simultaneously, countless people spat blood.
As Xu Mu continued to stride forward, the floating statues in space unleashed their respective dao techniques. Especially the two statues embracing the pipa and zither became most animated. Their fingertips plucked at the instruments, and the terrifying Great Dao music followed the rhythm of Xu Mu's steps, forcefully invading the minds of everyone in the arena.
*Ding...*
Blade intents and various elemental abilities mingled, shattering their spiritual seas. Instantly, a large number of ability users collapsed in the courtyard, all dead.
"What kind of ability is this!" Yin Jiao was aghast. His spiritual sea was protected by a magical artifact, allowing him to temporarily withstand this wave of attack. But what shocked him was that while the music attacked his soul, it also carried terrifying blade intents, shredding the abilities he had painstakingly unleashed. Even his body bore countless bloody marks, each a bone-deep wound!
"Senior, we can leave now!" Xu Mu took another step forward, then unhesitatingly leaped into the air. The Wine Immortal Daoist instantly retracted his pháp tướng and floated to Xu Mu's side, grabbing his sleeve and hurtling towards the distance.
Meanwhile, Yin Jiao in the courtyard, at the moment Xu Mu took his final step, was targeted by a statue wielding a Pangu Axe. Intense ancient power surged, and his entire being was cleaved into pieces, reduced to a pool of blood.
"Trying to escape? Not so easy!" Jin Dafu, witnessing the carnage below and not expecting all his men to be killed, flew into a rage and roared, intending to pursue. However, he was stopped by the combined efforts of several domain lords beside him.
"Absolutely not!" Several domain lords exclaimed in unison, blocking Jin Dafu's ascent.
"The initiative is in their hands. We are fortunate not to be dead. Do not pursue a cornered enemy!" they said.
*Bang!*
Just as Jin Dafu was about to speak, a deafening roar erupted from another part of Unbroken City.
Following that, within Unbroken City, including all ability users far away, even the Wine Immortal Daoist and Xu Mu, sensed a scorching flame. The night sky became even brighter, as if it were daytime.
Jin Dafu and the Old Ancestor of the Wang family exchanged glances, both seeing a flicker of pleasant surprise in each other's eyes. It was clear that the Wine Immortal Daoist's sudden retreat was out of fear of Yao Huo, which proved their relationship was not reconciled.
And the celestial phenomenon at this moment proved that Yao Huo had emerged from seclusion!
"Everyone, full speed ahead!" Jin Dafu led dozens of domain lords, vanishing into space in an instant, relentlessly pursuing the two figures, one old and one young.
"We absolutely cannot let them escape." Countless figures in space greedily shouted. They all knew that Xu Mu possessed a great treasure, the Heavenly Book, which was why he had been staying in Unbroken City!
"Alright!"
The Old Ancestor of the Wang family laughed heartily.
"That's the direction of the Black Water Basin. They won't get far."
"Today is Xu Mu's death anniversary!"
...