A True Daoist Falls — Pray You Don't Run Into Me Next Time
A True Daoist Falls — Pray You Don’t Run Into Me Next Time
Boom!!
In an instant, the whole world blurred, warped by that vast and boundless power. Even time and space itself seemed to fall into disorder.
All energy shattered, stars crumbled to ash, and everything surged together toward the distant edge of the universe.
Everyone from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains fell silent, faces pale as they watched that strike, their hearts trembling uncontrollably, sensing an irresistible, overwhelming momentum.
The cultivators and living beings standing atop the city walls were especially horrified.
They saw, in the distant lands, an army a thousand times more terrifying than any flood, a black mass surging forth to kill, blotting out heaven and earth in total darkness.
Among them were ten thousand races, countless in number, wielding Black Heaven Sabers, war halberds, and all manner of weapons. There were even colossal war beasts, wrapped in chains like mountain ranges, their bodies larger than stars.
Driven by Sacred Emperor Realm beings, they opened their mouths and roared, and endless black clouds billowed across the sky, covering and drowning everything below.
Rumble!!!
The sky above Sky Deer City went dark in an instant. Stars were swallowed one by one, emitting sounds of cracking and collapse.
The city wall, which stood level with the universe itself, flush with the heavens, was now being pressed down beneath the black clouds.
Countless stars served as its source of power, and the surrounding universe was affected, transmitting supreme strength into it.
Yet now the wall trembled and shuddered, runes lighting up one after another, only to be ground away and erased.
Buzz!!
A True Daoist of the Beyond had struck, seeking to break Sky Deer City’s Grand Array. The mere aftershocks leaking through the seal were enough to terrify even Sacred Emperor Realm beings.
Let alone ordinary living beings and cultivators, who could no longer hold out, shivering uncontrollably, their souls quaking as the pressure bore down on them.
Within that rolling fog, they could only see blurred figures, shrouded in endless runes.
“This is simply not something mortals can fight against!”
Every young prodigy felt the urge to drop to their knees, gripped by terror, wanting to kowtow toward those figures.
It felt like ants gazing up at a True Dragon — a level they could never hope to touch.
Finally, the light here subsided, the fluctuations ceased, and yet the world seemed to have exploded, nearly shattered to pieces.
The several supreme beings who had struck stood towering in the sky, their Dharma Bodies terrifying, radiance blazing, but they too stopped, making no further moves.
They had only been testing the waters, wanting to know how much longer Sky Deer City’s Grand Array could hold.
“It seems this array is as much of a turtle shell as ever. But this time, with our realm’s great army marching in, all resistance will turn to smoke and ash.”
They laughed coldly. Some of their faces looked ancient, others quite young.
But all of them bore an unmistakable air of vicissitude, their blood qi surging like cosmic furnaces.
“It seems their realm’s Grand Array cannot hold out for long. After all, the energy needed to sustain it will eventually run dry.”
“The moment this barrier falls will be the moment the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains suffer total defeat.”
Many young prodigies of the Beyond stood near the front, witnessing the cruelty of this battle with their own eyes.
The Six-Crowned King, the Phoenix Lady, the Beast Sovereign, Jin Chan the Chosen Monk, and the others all wore solemn expressions.
Still, they felt that such a Grand Array was, in the end, merely an external thing.
If the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains truly thought they could rely on this array alone to fend off the Beyond, that would be far too naive.
In the end, their gazes turned toward where Gu Changge and the others stood.
What would decide this battle now were the True Daoists. The rest of the army merely waited for Sky Deer City to fall before charging in to slaughter.
Nor would the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains send their armies out of the city at a time like this — that would hardly be a wise choice.
“I just wonder what choice the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains will make now?”
Someone noticed that deep in the sky, the many supreme beings of the Beyond had yet to act, still coldly watching Sky Deer City ahead.
But their might was unimaginable. Around each of them swirled terrifying energy, like black oceans boiling behind them, billions of divine lights interweaving.
“I wonder how much longer Sky Deer City’s Grand Array can hold?”
Beside Gu Changge, a supreme being shrouded entirely in black fog spoke, his gaze cold as it swept over all the living beings ahead.
Finally, his eyes passed over the Ancestral Flag standing between heaven and earth, and he let out a disdainful sneer.
“They won’t let this array keep holding. They’ll surely follow their old pattern and send experts out to meet us in battle.”
Among them, an extremely ancient powerhouse spoke — an Ancient Ancestor of some clan — making even the other True Daoists present somewhat wary of him.
“Nothing but a waste of time.” Another figure of Ancient Ancestor level sneered, then shook his head in contempt, unwilling to act at this moment, intending to wait until the truly invincible beings of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains emerged. “Though it might be worth probing a little. Sky Deer City’s array barrier seems connected to the collapse of the Beyond’s laws back then.”
Gu Changge’s eyes held a strange glint. He stood together with the group of True Daoists, but did not act. Now that supreme beings from every orthodoxy and power of the Beyond had descended, there was no need for him to directly withstand several True Daoists head-on as he had before.
Moreover, at this moment, Gu Changge would rather observe the experts on the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains’ side, and pick his targets.
When two realms collided, their Fortuity converged and fused — perhaps some Fated One capable of turning the tide might be born.
When a realm neared destruction, its Fortuity fell into chaos. This was an unchangeable law in any world.
But Fortuitous Ones like Lin Wu and Xiao Yang were already of little great use to Gu Changge.
At most, they served as bait to draw out the bigger fish behind them, or to be mined for other value.
“The Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains consist of eight wastelands and ten domains. By reason, there should be some noteworthy figures among these places.”
Gu Changge’s gaze swept one by one over the many figures atop Sky Deer City’s walls, and suddenly he found himself somewhat intrigued.
There, he spotted Zhao Yunze, the Young Master of the Great Cloud Domain whom he had deliberately let escape back then. The man was staring at him with icy, hateful eyes, as if a sea of blood feud lay between them.
After all, he had been the number one of the younger generation tens of millions of years ago.
Even now, he was exceptionally brilliant — yet in the end, he had not become a True Daoist, still one step short of the threshold.
“We blocked that strike. It seems our realm’s array can hold out a while longer.”
“But who knows how much longer it can last.”
“This can’t go on. If those supreme beings of the Beyond all strike together, the consumption will multiply.”
On Sky Deer City’s walls, the Ancestors of many clans stood, staring intently at the distant radiance, their faces grave. They felt that if things continued like this, Sky Deer City’s Grand Array would be breached.
Then they exchanged glances and began to discuss — no matter what, they had to find a way to buy time.
“It seems that in the end, we’ll have to act ourselves.”
“Below the True Daoist level, all are ants. Even if a Sacred Emperor Realm being went, it would be utterly useless.”
At that, several beings of profoundly deep cultivation stepped forth, their bodies wrapped in Chaos Energy, striding out from the altar within the city. In a flash of light, they appeared in the sky outside Sky Deer City.
This scene shook all directions. Every living being and cultivator in Sky Deer City paled drastically, hearts trembling with fear — and even more so with worry and unease.
“That’s the Sky Fire Ancestor of the Vermilion Bird War God Clan! He achieved the Dao eighty million years ago — his strength is unfathomable.”
“And that one is the Elder of the Green Vine Clan, a close friend of the fallen Elder of the Green Clan of life. I never thought he would act as well.”
“They’re doing this to buy time before Sky Deer City is breached...”
Some recognized the ancient beings who had stepped out, and their hearts quaked. Many of them had never shown themselves before — existences so ancient that even their own Founding Ancestors would be mere juniors before them.
For a moment, everyone felt waves of oppression. None had expected True Daoists to appear and act right from the start.
In past wars with the Beyond, it was usually Sacred Realm experts who struck first, with Sacred Emperor Realm beings only taking the field afterward.
Now, with True Daoists acting first, it was clear the situation had become extraordinarily dire.
On Sky Deer City’s walls, everyone couldn’t help but clench their fists, feeling a wave of helplessness, worried for the True Daoists who had gone out.
“Oh? It seems this time they’re actually sending True Daoists out first. All the better — saves us the trouble.”
“Deal with them first!”
Seeing this, the many supreme beings of the Beyond within the fog all sneered, casual and contemptuous. Then footsteps rang out, making every heart shudder, as several terrifying existences appeared, radiant with light, revealing their true forms outside Sky Deer City.
“This battle holds no hope for them.”
“Why can’t they understand that?”
The Sky Deer Goddess stood silently behind Gu Changge, her skin white as porcelain, a faint holy glow about her. Here, she was quiet, simply watching it all.
The distant Sky Deer City, once so familiar — today, she suddenly found herself somewhat unable to face it.
At the same time, as the supreme beings moved out, ancient banners were hurled forth one after another — tens of thousands of them — rising from the ground and landing in the four directions of heaven and earth, flapping loudly, as terrifying Force of Law descended to protect the Beyond’s army.
When True Daoists clashed, even the aftershocks were an unimaginable catastrophe for any living being or cultivator nearby.
Boom!!
Soon, endless radiance erupted here once more. Giant hands stretched across the sky, their terrifying might sweeping through the edge of the universe.
Someone roared, his entire body burning, the laws and order he unleashed seeming to pierce through the entire cosmos.
It was a supreme technique beyond compare, able to cleave heaven and shake earth, his Dharma Body towering far beyond a hundred million zhang.
They all struck with everything they had, displaying the strongest methods of their generation.
The battle lasted a long time. Endless Chaos Energy burst forth, detonating the firmament. Boundless divine flames surged, as if to burn holes through the canopy of heaven itself — but in the end, it could not reverse fate.
Blood rain fell from the sky. Terrifying omens appeared — great stars falling, the universe withering.
A True Daoist had fallen!
The other True Daoists turned into divine light and withdrew to the altar, but they too were grievously wounded.
“The Sky Fire Ancestor has fallen...”
“How is that possible? He was an invincible existence of his era! In his youth, none could match him! How could he lose to them?!”
This sight made countless cultivators and living beings of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains wail in grief, their faces etched with hatred and sorrow.
They had never imagined they would witness a True Daoist’s death with their own eyes.
Though his opponent had also suffered terribly, gravely wounded and nearly killed.
For the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, this was already an unimaginable loss.
“I was careless. He nearly killed me.” The supreme being who returned to the Beyond’s side looked shaken. Had he made one wrong move at the end, the one who had fallen would have been him.
The other supreme beings who had fought also bore injuries — none had come away unscathed.
“This Zhao Yunze would make a fine prey.”
Gu Changge withdrew his gaze. Hearing this, he glanced at the supreme being who had spoken, feeling a touch of regret. It was the same one who had mocked the Sky Deer Goddess earlier. Gu Changge had assumed he would perish in the battle, but in the end the man had kept a trick in reserve and survived.
Otherwise, he could have ordered Ah Da to collect another portion of a True Daoist’s Source.
“This can’t go on.”
“Defeat after defeat — our realm’s morale has withered to its limit...”
On the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains’ side, there was mourning everywhere. The many True Daoists looked grimly toward the sky outside Sky Deer City, where blood rain still drifted down, haze rising in their hearts.
And just as their hearts grew heavy, as they pondered countermeasures — atop the distant sky where fog billowed to the heavens, a golden Great Dao descended, accompanied by the light of the Dao, crystalline immortal brilliance shining.
Footsteps rang out between heaven and earth.
A young man walked forward, wreathed in immortal qi and chaotic light, like a banished immortal striding through the mortal world.
Dao Flowers bloomed one after another above his head, immortal qi cascading down and sinking into his body.
Then it rose again from the crown of his head, once more forming flowers of the Great Dao, cycling round and round, nourishing his body.
“Do you remember what I told you before? Pray that you don’t run into me next time.”
Gu Changge spoke with a smile, his gaze falling upon Zhao Yunze atop Sky Deer City’s walls, his bearing divine as jade, transcendent and otherworldly.