The night suddenly became day under the great sun.
This strange scene attracted the attention of all the living beings in the Cong Yun Sea who had not yet rested, causing them to look up at the sky.
At the same time, an ancient voice also echoed from the heavens, seeming like thunder, instantly spreading throughout the entire Cong Yun Sea.
"Since you begged for my help, I will lend a hand. Whether you succeed or not depends on your own fortune!"
Under the illumination of the great sun, the figure of the Heavenly Spirit that could not be seen by ordinary people, Crimson Flame, was now clearly revealed.
"What is that?"
Compared to the sun illuminating the Cong Yun Sea, this crimson figure was extremely tiny.
But all cultivators' gazes were involuntarily attracted by it.
Greed surged from their hearts.
Reason disappeared as cultivators one after another flew towards the sky like moths to a flame.
Before even getting close, their whole bodies were incinerated by fierce flames.
Dots of death announcements like fireworks continuously appeared in the sky.
Ten Thousand Immortals Island had already fallen into chaos.
"It's a Heavenly Spirit! After consuming it, one can achieve Dao Integration!"
Countless cultivators' eyes turned bloodshot as they babbled incessantly.
In an instant, cultivators blinded by greed flew towards the sky as if possessed.
However, when their flight altitude exceeded the statue of the Immortal Ancestor, rays of white light simultaneously shot out from the various statues in the Transmission Square, bombarding these transgressors into pieces.
Above Ten Thousand Immortals Island, all kinds of death announcements instantly appeared.
But the fear of death could not stop the greed of cultivators at all.
White lights kept flashing, and each time they lit up, at least several cultivators lost their lives.
Observing through his clone, Li Fan was also shocked and mesmerized by the cruel yet magnificent scene before his eyes.
Although he had witnessed the Heavenly Spirit many times and knew its fatal allure to cultivators, when it really happened before his eyes, Li Fan realized that he still underestimated its attraction to cultivators.
Fearless of death, they pressed forward successively.
In the blink of an eye, at least hundreds of cultivators had lost their lives because of it.
Moreover, the Heavenly Spirit's attraction kept growing stronger.
Even those cultivators barely holding onto their original temperance seemed about to lose their persistence.
At this moment, a rainbow-colored shield abruptly expanded from the central core area of Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
In an instant, it covered the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
The seven-colored radiance, misty and flowing, slightly blocked the cultivators' line of sight towards the Heavenly Spirit.
As if seen through a thin veil, although they could still clearly see everything happening high in the sky, the surging desires in their hearts gradually faded away.
"The Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation..." As Li Fan looked at the rainbow shield, before he could think further, his attention was drawn back to the scene in the sky.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island who had just escaped death also did not have time to discuss among themselves. Their attraction grew more as time passed.
The Heavenly Spirit, Crimson Flame.
It seemed to have just emerged into the world and was illuminated by the great sun overhead.
After such a long time, its figure finally fully condensed.
Ignoring the ants recklessly flying to their deaths below, it looked up at the sun shining in the night sky.
Flames abruptly surged around its body as it was about to take action.
But then, in the heavens, a splendid river of stars composed of countless twinkling lights soundlessly appeared.
Under the rare scene of the stars and sun sharing the sky together, the silvery starlight interwove with the scorching sunlight.
It formed a cage that trapped the Crimson Flame within.
"The waters of the Lancang River come down from heaven!"
An unrestrained laughter echoed across the sky.
Shrouded by the star river, torrents of river water a thousand feet deep descended from the sky as if like a spear piercing downwards.
The roaring waters were like a dragon, slamming down towards the Crimson Flame.
But before even getting close to the Crimson Flame, the surging waters were evaporated by the scorching heat.
However, the flowing river never stopped, and it slightly delayed the Crimson Flame's actions.
At the same time, all living beings in the Cong Yun Sea heard the tender voice of a 5 or 6-year-old boy.
"Tian Yang's soul..."
A strange mechanical voice followed.
"Not weaker than man!"
Black and red flames soared into the sky, transforming into fiery chains that instantly locked the Crimson Flame's four limbs.
Under the scorching pure red flames, the black and red chains continuously fell back.
Some were assimilated into the crimson blaze, while other chains turned into black ash and fell from the sky.
"Not weaker!"
"Than man!"
The childish and mechanical voices echoed across the sky together.
Full of stubbornness.
The black and red chains suddenly regained their previous shape out of thin air.
Tightly pulling at the Crimson Flame's hands and feet.
In the sky, within the brilliant star river, a star transformed into purple light and descended from afar.
In an instant, crossing numerous spatial barriers, it smashed onto the Crimson Flame.
It didn't create the earth-shattering impact as imagined.
After the purple light approached, it was vaporized into nothingness by the unimaginably high temperature.
It only caused the flames to flicker slightly, with no other apparent impact.
The Crimson Flame tilted its head slightly, seemingly mocking.
"Fellow Daoist Hongxi, Fellow Daoist Haoxuan, if not now, when will you act?"
A steady female voice urged.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Faint rumblings echoed in the heavens and earth.
"Mountain!"
An inverted mountain peak that looked extremely small suddenly appeared above the Crimson Flame's head in an instant.
The needle-like mountain peak pressed down on the Crimson Flame.
"Mountain!"
"Mountain!"
"Mountain!"
...
The young man's voice resounded one after another.
Above, below, left, right, front, and back of the Crimson Flame, multiple inverted mountains simultaneously appeared.
They trapped the Crimson Flame in the middle.
And behind each mountain peak, the shadows of several other peaks could be faintly seen.
Inverted mountains pressed down from all directions.
The immense pressure distorted the space around the Crimson Flame.
But, the moment each mountain approached the Crimson Flame, they were scorched into nothingness by the fiery heat.
At this moment, the Crimson Flame faced attacks from the Chains of Tian Yang, the Falling Starlight, the Lancang River water, and the inverted mountains.
The flames surging around its body indicated that it was no longer as relaxed as at the beginning.
Therefore, it prepared to make a move.
"Center!"
Just at this moment, a thunderous shout echoed in the heavens and earth.
A silver light suddenly appeared and pierced through its chest.
The Crimson Flame's body slightly hesitated.
The flames surged, and the silver radiance disappeared in an instant.
"Center!"
Another silver radiance pierced through its body.
Yet, it appeared oblivious and began its counterattack.
Extending its hand, it lightly flicked its finger.
A terrifying red light burst forth, momentarily surpassing the brightness of the sun in the sky.
Amidst the explosion of flames.
The inverted mountains in all directions were instantly blasted away, collapsing in disarray.
Flames churned around its body as it dragged the Tian Yang Chains and threw a fist at the white Lancang River water dragon.
White mist tumbled as the waterfall in the sky instantly dried up.
A ray of red light shot out from the Crimson Flame's eyes, colliding with the purple light falling from the star river.
Rising upwards, like a meteor flying in reverse, it bombarded the brilliant star river.
The starlight darkened as the river sustained a heavy strike.
In just a moment, under the Crimson Flame's casual counterattack, the originally magnificent combined strike of the five True Monarchs already showed signs of defeat.
In the Cong Yun Sea, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island had all lost their voices at this scene.
Not long ago, they were still shocked by the earth-shattering divine abilities of the True Monarchs.
But now, as the Dao Integration Realm Crimson Flame took action, they finally understood.
That insurmountable chasm between the Dao Integration Realm and the Soul Transformation Realm.
For a while, some cultivators' minds collapsed.
"The combined might of five True Monarchs is so easily crushed?"
"Devour the Heavenly Spirit, devour the Heavenly Spirit. The power of the Dao Integration Realm is too terrifying. How can we devour the Heavenly Spirit?"
"Ants... we're all ants..."
......
Other people still had faith in the island's True Monarchs.
"Get a grip! Esteemed True Monarch Hongxi and the others won't be defeated so easily. They must have more tricks up their sleeve!"
"That's right, the Heavenly Spirit has been under siege since revealing itself, obviously the True Monarchs have made preparations beforehand. Don't worry!"
As if to prove these words, high up in the sky, under the shining stars, silver-white squares soundlessly appeared around the battlefield.
"That's..."
Li Fan was slightly surprised.
He recognized this object: it was the Formation Crown that Formation Master Zhang Zhiliang gave him for protection when he went out before.
Just one Formation Crown contained hundreds of layered formations.
Yet now, densely packed, at least hundreds of thousands of white squares had appeared around the Crimson Flame and five True Monarchs' battlefield!
"I, Zhang Zhiliang, am first in formations in the Cong Yun Sea!"
"Although I am only at the Nascent Soul Realm."
"Today, I will use my Infinite Formation to assist the True Monarchs' ascension!"
Zhang Zhiliang's arrogant voice thundered.
"Gather spirits!"
Following his low shout.
The hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns simultaneously emitted faint white lights.
A silence descended upon heaven and earth.
Then, tremendous attractive forces burst out from these white Formation Crowns.
In an instant, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea was attracted towards the battlefield.
A spiritual qi storm swiftly formed.
Vast amounts of spiritual qi, almost condensed into liquid, gathered.
The damaged Tian Yang Chains instantly regained their firmness.
The darkened star river once again became dazzling and eye-catching.
The waters of the Lancang River once again surged with great momentum.
The inverted mountains towered into the sky again.
Moreover, the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns created by Zhang Zhiliang, harnessing the entire power of the Cong Yun Sea, were far from just having these uses.
"Stall!"
Strands of silver-white threads shot out from the Formation Crowns, coiling around the Crimson Flame like spider silk.
The threads seemed insubstantial; no matter how the flames churned, they only twisted the fine lines.
But the flames were unable to destroy them.
Tens of thousands of threads bound the Crimson Flame.
Its actions became a bit sluggish.
"Birth and death!"
White light shone on the five True Monarchs.
Their offensive abruptly became even more ferocious.
And they seemed to have gained a trace more coordination between each other.
Achieving a synergistic effect of one plus one being greater than two.
On the other hand, each of the Crimson Flame's flame attacks was weakened by the True Monarchs' combined strikes.
"Obliteration!"
Strands of black lights emitting an aura of destruction sporadically shot out from the hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns.
Accurately bombarding the Crimson Flame, causing the flames around its body to flicker rapidly.
......
Zhang Zhiliang manipulated and unleashed arrays of different effects in succession.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island watched this scene with eyes wide and tongues tied, finding it unbelievable.
"Just who is this Zhang Zhiliang? I only know Gong Boyu is the island's formation master!"
"He says his own cultivation base is only at the Nascent Soul Realm? I see his formations' might even exceed those True Monarchs!"
"Master Zhang is indeed unanimously recognized by the Formation Hall as first in formations."
"I must also learn formations."
While Li Fan, who had followed and learned formations from Zhang Zhiliang for nearly ten years, had an even deeper understanding.
Indeed, Zhang Zhiliang ability to participate in the contest between Soul Transformation and Dao Integration relied greatly on the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns.
But Li Fan knew clearly in his heart that simultaneously controlling such a huge number of Formation Crowns was an extremely difficult matter.
It required extremely powerful spiritual support as well as thorough familiarity with formations.
"Infinite Formation..." Li Fan thought of the small black box Zhang Zhiliang gave him, a thought arising in his mind.
Up in the sky, the battle became increasingly intense.
Purple lights continuously fell from the star river, accurately striking the Crimson Flame.
The frequency of the silver lights shooting out from an unknown origin became increasingly rapid, riddling the Crimson Flame's body full of holes.
The inverted mountains, Lancang River waters, and Tian Yang Chains continuously tangled with the Crimson Flame.
Although the offense was extremely fierce, each attack only snuffed out a few flames.
As the Heavenly Spirit, its power came from heaven and earth itself.
Seemingly endless and inexhaustible.
The combined might of the five True Monarchs could not inflict substantial damage.
They could only slowly wear down its strength.
Although the Crimson Flame was equivalent to a Dao Integration Realm cultivator, it was after all only an embodiment of principles.
It was not very proficient in combat, purely relying on its power to overwhelm others.
Each of its attacks posed huge threats to the True Monarchs, but with Zhang Zhiliang and the hundreds of thousands of formations assisting, they could quickly recover from injuries.
Under this war of attrition, for a time, the battle situation had fallen into a strangely tense stalemate.
Shrouded under the great sun, the normal cycle of day and night in the Cong Yun Sea was also stopped.
Time seemed to be paused as all living beings halted their activities, looking up at the battle between the six powerful experts in the sky.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island watched the battlefield closely, afraid to miss the slightest detail.
The combined might of five Soul Transformation experts against one in the Dao Integration Realm.
Such a scene perhaps could only be witnessed once in their lifetimes.
Many cultivators even took out inscription tablets to record this down.
Whether to aid in their own comprehension in the future or replicate and sell, it would be greatly useful.
A small number of cultivators foresaw trouble brewing and wanted to escape through the teleportation arrays. But they discovered that the teleportation arrays had all lost effectiveness.
So they fled from Ten Thousand Immortals Island in panic, wanting to fly away from the Cong Yun Sea by themselves.
......
Among the masses with all kinds of reactions, Li Fan also carefully watched this seemingly endless battle through his clone.
Engrossed in it, letting time slip by.
One day, two days.
Time trickled away little by little.
In the protracted battle, the flames churning around the Crimson Flame's body flickered increasingly rapidly.
Evidently, continuously facing the relentless combined strikes of the five True Monarchs had made its responses gradually more strenuous.
More importantly, the dazzling golden light from the great sun in the sky as well as the faint starlight from the splendid star river together wove a cage, cutting off its connection with heaven and earth.
Preventing it from replenishing its primal energy.
Each attack made it weaker bit by bit.
The scales of victory were tilting towards the five True Monarchs.
So their offense became increasingly fierce.
Ever since the great battle began, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea kept getting drawn away.
The precipitous drop in spiritual qi density was keenly sensed by the cultivators.
They could not help feeling alarmed.
The battle had reached a white-hot stage.
On Ten Thousand Immortals Island, Li Fan, who was watching the battle, suddenly sensed something.
He shifted his gaze away from the sky, looking at the Cong Yun Sea shrouded under the great sun.
There, something seemed to be slowly taking form.
The Canghai Pearl in his original body informed him that this was not an illusion.
"Zhang, Hao, Bo," Li Fan said each word one by one in his mind, a strange look on his face.
He originally thought that summoning the winds to soar over Ten Thousand Immortals Island and attract the True Monarchs' attention to lay the trap against the Crimson Flame was already his limit.
He didn't expect that he would still make a move?
How is that possible?
No matter how fast he cultivated, it was impossible to break through to the Golden Core Realm in just a few years.
Even if Zhang Haobo had achieved Golden Core, in a battle at this level, he would still be like an ant.
What else could he do?
Li Fan's gaze tightly locked onto the air above the sea.
There, an illusory human figure was gradually taking shape.
Little by little, aside from Li Fan, many other cultivators also noticed the anomaly.
"Quick, look over there, what is that?"
"Could it be another True Monarch joining the battle?"
"That silhouette looks so familiar, have I seen it somewhere before?"
"It's Zhang Haobo who attacked Ten Thousand Immortals Island back then!"
Amidst the crowd's cries of alarm, Zhang Haobo's figure followed the wind and rapidly expanded, in a flash becoming as enormous as a mountain.
"This is..."
"Golden Core Dharma Body! He actually shattered his golden core!"
"Why? Such a young cultivator at Golden Core Realm has boundless prospects ahead!"
Information regarding the Golden Core Dharma Body instantly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Refining the golden core required peeping into the laws of heaven and earth.
If foundation building used enlightenment from the laws contained in Heavenly Treasures to build one's Dao Foundation, then the Golden Core consists of the laws personally comprehended by the cultivator.
The Golden Core Dharma Body is the embodiment of law condensed in one's Golden Core.
When detonating both it and the physical body, one could form a body purely composed of laws that briefly existed in heaven and earth.
The Dharma Body could only persist for less than half a day.
Once it dissipated, it signified the cultivator's complete death.
Only Golden Core cultivators facing mortal peril would use this method as an all-out strike.
Yet he didn't expect Zhang Haobo to unhesitatingly utilize it for no reason.
What was he trying to do?
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island all focused their gazes on this Golden Core Dharma Body.
A thought that they dared not believe flashed in their minds in unison.
Did he want to slay a Dao Integration Realm as Golden Core?
Not even in their dreams would anyone dare attempt this.
However...
Zhang Haobo dared!
His body had grown to the limit, resembling a mountain.
Watching the raging battle not far away in the sky, the Crimson Flame and the five Soul Transformation True Monarchs were still fighting.
An inexplicable expression appeared on his face.
Extending his left hand, a deep blue water droplet appeared in the palm of his hand.
With a mixture of gratitude and nostalgia in his gaze, Zhang Haobo's eyes flashed with a trace of determination.
Suddenly, he clenched his hand, and the blue water droplet burst open with a resounding noise.
Endless blue light emerged from it, absorbed by Zhang Haobo.
And below, the Cong Yun Sea seemed to boil instantly, creating waves without wind.
In the midst of the surging waves, countless blue dots of light rapidly flew towards Zhang Haobo.
Zhang Haobo's body instantly expanded several times again.
Like a giant towering into the sky, with the black sky above his head and the blue sea beneath his feet, his eyes were level with the Crimson Flame.
Zhang Haobo looked at the familiar figure in front of him and said loudly.
"You!"
"Destroyed my hometown!"
"Burned my relatives!"
He paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Now..."
"Receive my sword!"
A dazzling blue light suddenly lit up between the sky and the sea.
The brilliance was dazzling, surpassing even the great sun in the sky.
At this moment, all the cultivators watching here instinctively closed their eyes.
Zhang Haobo, embodying the sword, slashed forward in an instant.
Fearless of life and death, he pressed forward!
"This sword!"
"I've waited for sixteen years!"
The attacks of the five True Monarchs intensified like a sudden rainstorm, immobilizing the Crimson Flame.
In the blink of an eye, the blue sword shadow crossed through multiple layers of spatial barriers and slashed down upon the Crimson Flame!
Passing through its body, the momentum unabated, it flew towards the distance.
However, Zhang Haobo had returned to his normal size.
The lower part of his body had completely dissipated.
Only the upper body floated in the air.
His hands firmly grasped the Crimson Flame, and under the purely scorching flame laws, his Dharma Body began to dissolve like a melting candle.
Soon, his features became blurred and grotesque.
But he never let go.
Zhang Haobo smiled again and said the last words.
"In fact..."
"I lied to you just now."
"I..."
"Still have twenty-seven swords."
Before the words fell, from various parts of the Cong Yun Sea.
Waves surged, emitting a deafening roar.
This was not just Zhang Haobo's power but the will of the entire Cong Yun Sea.
The sky wanted to burn the sea, but the sea resisted.
So...
Receive the twenty-eight swords of the Cong Yun Sea!
The remaining twenty-seven strands of blue light instantly took form.
Covering the sky, shining on all living beings.
Aimed at the Crimson Flame locked by Zhang Haobo, they arrived in an instant.
Twenty-seven swords, piercing through one after another.
Cracks of blue appeared on the transparent body of the Crimson Flame.
It silently looked at Zhang Haobo, who was almost completely melting while still gripping it, expressionless.
Then...
The flames suddenly dimmed.
The red figure gradually became transparent, as if melting into water, slowly dissipating.
At the same time, Zhang Haobo, who had only half a head left, gained a sudden surge of strength.
A body made of flames was generated from below his head.
A wave of pressure manifested simultaneously.
The five True Monarchs were forced to reveal their figures, descending to the sea surface.
Even the sun in the sky had to retract its radiance.
Flames danced around, and Zhang Haobo's body finally fully formed.
He looked down at the beings in the Cong Yun Sea below, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.
A new Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage was born.
On the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, there was silence.
All the cultivators, their gazes fixed, found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
"Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, a Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage who cultivated for sixteen years..."
They couldn't help but mutter to themselves.
Even Li Fan, the instigator of all this, looked at the figure in the sky with shock.
"He actually, actually accomplished it?"
The waves in the Cong Yun Sea surged, seemingly celebrating the birth of the new Immortal Sage and the escape from a disaster.
All eyes of every creature were now focused on the Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, Zhang Haobo.
Admiration, envy, fear...
Various emotions arose.
...
At this moment.
A thin black line silently pierced through Zhang Haobo's chest.
Behind him, a figure completely composed of a deep ink color appeared out of thin air.
In the Cong Yun Sea, at the moment when all beings saw this ink-colored figure, their souls trembled uncontrollably.
The moment they saw it, they knew its name.
Ink Death.
Zhang Haobo, stunned, tried to turn around.
But he found that he could no longer move.
His breath instantly weakened.
Zhang Haobo died!
The night suddenly became day under the great sun.
This strange scene attracted the attention of all the living beings in the Cong Yun Sea who had not yet rested, causing them to look up at the sky.
At the same time, an ancient voice also echoed from the heavens, seeming like thunder, instantly spreading throughout the entire Cong Yun Sea.
"Since you begged for my help, I will lend a hand. Whether you succeed or not depends on your own fortune!"
Under the illumination of the great sun, the figure of the Heavenly Spirit that could not be seen by ordinary people, Crimson Flame, was now clearly revealed.
"What is that?"
Compared to the sun illuminating the Cong Yun Sea, this crimson figure was extremely tiny.
But all cultivators' gazes were involuntarily attracted by it.
Greed surged from their hearts.
Reason disappeared as cultivators one after another flew towards the sky like moths to a flame.
Before even getting close, their whole bodies were incinerated by fierce flames.
Dots of death announcements like fireworks continuously appeared in the sky.
Ten Thousand Immortals Island had already fallen into chaos.
"It's a Heavenly Spirit! After consuming it, one can achieve Dao Integration!"
Countless cultivators' eyes turned bloodshot as they babbled incessantly.
In an instant, cultivators blinded by greed flew towards the sky as if possessed.
However, when their flight altitude exceeded the statue of the Immortal Ancestor, rays of white light simultaneously shot out from the various statues in the Transmission Square, bombarding these transgressors into pieces.
Above Ten Thousand Immortals Island, all kinds of death announcements instantly appeared.
But the fear of death could not stop the greed of cultivators at all.
White lights kept flashing, and each time they lit up, at least several cultivators lost their lives.
Observing through his clone, Li Fan was also shocked and mesmerized by the cruel yet magnificent scene before his eyes.
Although he had witnessed the Heavenly Spirit many times and knew its fatal allure to cultivators, when it really happened before his eyes, Li Fan realized that he still underestimated its attraction to cultivators.
Fearless of death, they pressed forward successively.
In the blink of an eye, at least hundreds of cultivators had lost their lives because of it.
Moreover, the Heavenly Spirit's attraction kept growing stronger.
Even those cultivators barely holding onto their original temperance seemed about to lose their persistence.
At this moment, a rainbow-colored shield abruptly expanded from the central core area of Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
In an instant, it covered the entire Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
The seven-colored radiance, misty and flowing, slightly blocked the cultivators' line of sight towards the Heavenly Spirit.
As if seen through a thin veil, although they could still clearly see everything happening high in the sky, the surging desires in their hearts gradually faded away.
"The Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation..." As Li Fan looked at the rainbow shield, before he could think further, his attention was drawn back to the scene in the sky.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island who had just escaped death also did not have time to discuss among themselves. Their attraction grew more as time passed.
The Heavenly Spirit, Crimson Flame.
It seemed to have just emerged into the world and was illuminated by the great sun overhead.
After such a long time, its figure finally fully condensed.
Ignoring the ants recklessly flying to their deaths below, it looked up at the sun shining in the night sky.
Flames abruptly surged around its body as it was about to take action.
But then, in the heavens, a splendid river of stars composed of countless twinkling lights soundlessly appeared.
Under the rare scene of the stars and sun sharing the sky together, the silvery starlight interwove with the scorching sunlight.
It formed a cage that trapped the Crimson Flame within.
"The waters of the Lancang River come down from heaven!"
An unrestrained laughter echoed across the sky.
Shrouded by the star river, torrents of river water a thousand feet deep descended from the sky as if like a spear piercing downwards.
The roaring waters were like a dragon, slamming down towards the Crimson Flame.
But before even getting close to the Crimson Flame, the surging waters were evaporated by the scorching heat.
However, the flowing river never stopped, and it slightly delayed the Crimson Flame's actions.
At the same time, all living beings in the Cong Yun Sea heard the tender voice of a 5 or 6-year-old boy.
"Tian Yang's soul..."
A strange mechanical voice followed.
"Not weaker than man!"
Black and red flames soared into the sky, transforming into fiery chains that instantly locked the Crimson Flame's four limbs.
Under the scorching pure red flames, the black and red chains continuously fell back.
Some were assimilated into the crimson blaze, while other chains turned into black ash and fell from the sky.
"Not weaker!"
"Than man!"
The childish and mechanical voices echoed across the sky together.
Full of stubbornness.
The black and red chains suddenly regained their previous shape out of thin air.
Tightly pulling at the Crimson Flame's hands and feet.
In the sky, within the brilliant star river, a star transformed into purple light and descended from afar.
In an instant, crossing numerous spatial barriers, it smashed onto the Crimson Flame.
It didn't create the earth-shattering impact as imagined.
After the purple light approached, it was vaporized into nothingness by the unimaginably high temperature.
It only caused the flames to flicker slightly, with no other apparent impact.
The Crimson Flame tilted its head slightly, seemingly mocking.
"Fellow Daoist Hongxi, Fellow Daoist Haoxuan, if not now, when will you act?"
A steady female voice urged.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Faint rumblings echoed in the heavens and earth.
"Mountain!"
An inverted mountain peak that looked extremely small suddenly appeared above the Crimson Flame's head in an instant.
The needle-like mountain peak pressed down on the Crimson Flame.
"Mountain!"
"Mountain!"
"Mountain!"
...
The young man's voice resounded one after another.
Above, below, left, right, front, and back of the Crimson Flame, multiple inverted mountains simultaneously appeared.
They trapped the Crimson Flame in the middle.
And behind each mountain peak, the shadows of several other peaks could be faintly seen.
Inverted mountains pressed down from all directions.
The immense pressure distorted the space around the Crimson Flame.
But, the moment each mountain approached the Crimson Flame, they were scorched into nothingness by the fiery heat.
At this moment, the Crimson Flame faced attacks from the Chains of Tian Yang, the Falling Starlight, the Lancang River water, and the inverted mountains.
The flames surging around its body indicated that it was no longer as relaxed as at the beginning.
Therefore, it prepared to make a move.
"Center!"
Just at this moment, a thunderous shout echoed in the heavens and earth.
A silver light suddenly appeared and pierced through its chest.
The Crimson Flame's body slightly hesitated.
The flames surged, and the silver radiance disappeared in an instant.
"Center!"
Another silver radiance pierced through its body.
Yet, it appeared oblivious and began its counterattack.
Extending its hand, it lightly flicked its finger.
A terrifying red light burst forth, momentarily surpassing the brightness of the sun in the sky.
Amidst the explosion of flames.
The inverted mountains in all directions were instantly blasted away, collapsing in disarray.
Flames churned around its body as it dragged the Tian Yang Chains and threw a fist at the white Lancang River water dragon.
White mist tumbled as the waterfall in the sky instantly dried up.
A ray of red light shot out from the Crimson Flame's eyes, colliding with the purple light falling from the star river.
Rising upwards, like a meteor flying in reverse, it bombarded the brilliant star river.
The starlight darkened as the river sustained a heavy strike.
In just a moment, under the Crimson Flame's casual counterattack, the originally magnificent combined strike of the five True Monarchs already showed signs of defeat.
In the Cong Yun Sea, the cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island had all lost their voices at this scene.
Not long ago, they were still shocked by the earth-shattering divine abilities of the True Monarchs.
But now, as the Dao Integration Realm Crimson Flame took action, they finally understood.
That insurmountable chasm between the Dao Integration Realm and the Soul Transformation Realm.
For a while, some cultivators' minds collapsed.
"The combined might of five True Monarchs is so easily crushed?"
"Devour the Heavenly Spirit, devour the Heavenly Spirit. The power of the Dao Integration Realm is too terrifying. How can we devour the Heavenly Spirit?"
"Ants... we're all ants..."
......
Other people still had faith in the island's True Monarchs.
"Get a grip! Esteemed True Monarch Hongxi and the others won't be defeated so easily. They must have more tricks up their sleeve!"
"That's right, the Heavenly Spirit has been under siege since revealing itself, obviously the True Monarchs have made preparations beforehand. Don't worry!"
As if to prove these words, high up in the sky, under the shining stars, silver-white squares soundlessly appeared around the battlefield.
"That's..."
Li Fan was slightly surprised.
He recognized this object: it was the Formation Crown that Formation Master Zhang Zhiliang gave him for protection when he went out before.
Just one Formation Crown contained hundreds of layered formations.
Yet now, densely packed, at least hundreds of thousands of white squares had appeared around the Crimson Flame and five True Monarchs' battlefield!
"I, Zhang Zhiliang, am first in formations in the Cong Yun Sea!"
"Although I am only at the Nascent Soul Realm."
"Today, I will use my Infinite Formation to assist the True Monarchs' ascension!"
Zhang Zhiliang's arrogant voice thundered.
"Gather spirits!"
Following his low shout.
The hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns simultaneously emitted faint white lights.
A silence descended upon heaven and earth.
Then, tremendous attractive forces burst out from these white Formation Crowns.
In an instant, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea was attracted towards the battlefield.
A spiritual qi storm swiftly formed.
Vast amounts of spiritual qi, almost condensed into liquid, gathered.
The damaged Tian Yang Chains instantly regained their firmness.
The darkened star river once again became dazzling and eye-catching.
The waters of the Lancang River once again surged with great momentum.
The inverted mountains towered into the sky again.
Moreover, the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns created by Zhang Zhiliang, harnessing the entire power of the Cong Yun Sea, were far from just having these uses.
"Stall!"
Strands of silver-white threads shot out from the Formation Crowns, coiling around the Crimson Flame like spider silk.
The threads seemed insubstantial; no matter how the flames churned, they only twisted the fine lines.
But the flames were unable to destroy them.
Tens of thousands of threads bound the Crimson Flame.
Its actions became a bit sluggish.
"Birth and death!"
White light shone on the five True Monarchs.
Their offensive abruptly became even more ferocious.
And they seemed to have gained a trace more coordination between each other.
Achieving a synergistic effect of one plus one being greater than two.
On the other hand, each of the Crimson Flame's flame attacks was weakened by the True Monarchs' combined strikes.
"Obliteration!"
Strands of black lights emitting an aura of destruction sporadically shot out from the hundreds of thousands of white Formation Crowns.
Accurately bombarding the Crimson Flame, causing the flames around its body to flicker rapidly.
......
Zhang Zhiliang manipulated and unleashed arrays of different effects in succession.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island watched this scene with eyes wide and tongues tied, finding it unbelievable.
"Just who is this Zhang Zhiliang? I only know Gong Boyu is the island's formation master!"
"He says his own cultivation base is only at the Nascent Soul Realm? I see his formations' might even exceed those True Monarchs!"
"Master Zhang is indeed unanimously recognized by the Formation Hall as first in formations."
"I must also learn formations."
While Li Fan, who had followed and learned formations from Zhang Zhiliang for nearly ten years, had an even deeper understanding.
Indeed, Zhang Zhiliang ability to participate in the contest between Soul Transformation and Dao Integration relied greatly on the hundreds of thousands of Formation Crowns.
But Li Fan knew clearly in his heart that simultaneously controlling such a huge number of Formation Crowns was an extremely difficult matter.
It required extremely powerful spiritual support as well as thorough familiarity with formations.
"Infinite Formation..." Li Fan thought of the small black box Zhang Zhiliang gave him, a thought arising in his mind.
Up in the sky, the battle became increasingly intense.
Purple lights continuously fell from the star river, accurately striking the Crimson Flame.
The frequency of the silver lights shooting out from an unknown origin became increasingly rapid, riddling the Crimson Flame's body full of holes.
The inverted mountains, Lancang River waters, and Tian Yang Chains continuously tangled with the Crimson Flame.
Although the offense was extremely fierce, each attack only snuffed out a few flames.
As the Heavenly Spirit, its power came from heaven and earth itself.
Seemingly endless and inexhaustible.
The combined might of the five True Monarchs could not inflict substantial damage.
They could only slowly wear down its strength.
Although the Crimson Flame was equivalent to a Dao Integration Realm cultivator, it was after all only an embodiment of principles.
It was not very proficient in combat, purely relying on its power to overwhelm others.
Each of its attacks posed huge threats to the True Monarchs, but with Zhang Zhiliang and the hundreds of thousands of formations assisting, they could quickly recover from injuries.
Under this war of attrition, for a time, the battle situation had fallen into a strangely tense stalemate.
Shrouded under the great sun, the normal cycle of day and night in the Cong Yun Sea was also stopped.
Time seemed to be paused as all living beings halted their activities, looking up at the battle between the six powerful experts in the sky.
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island watched the battlefield closely, afraid to miss the slightest detail.
The combined might of five Soul Transformation experts against one in the Dao Integration Realm.
Such a scene perhaps could only be witnessed once in their lifetimes.
Many cultivators even took out inscription tablets to record this down.
Whether to aid in their own comprehension in the future or replicate and sell, it would be greatly useful.
A small number of cultivators foresaw trouble brewing and wanted to escape through the teleportation arrays. But they discovered that the teleportation arrays had all lost effectiveness.
So they fled from Ten Thousand Immortals Island in panic, wanting to fly away from the Cong Yun Sea by themselves.
......
Among the masses with all kinds of reactions, Li Fan also carefully watched this seemingly endless battle through his clone.
Engrossed in it, letting time slip by.
One day, two days.
Time trickled away little by little.
In the protracted battle, the flames churning around the Crimson Flame's body flickered increasingly rapidly.
Evidently, continuously facing the relentless combined strikes of the five True Monarchs had made its responses gradually more strenuous.
More importantly, the dazzling golden light from the great sun in the sky as well as the faint starlight from the splendid star river together wove a cage, cutting off its connection with heaven and earth.
Preventing it from replenishing its primal energy.
Each attack made it weaker bit by bit.
The scales of victory were tilting towards the five True Monarchs.
So their offense became increasingly fierce.
Ever since the great battle began, the spiritual qi of the entire Cong Yun Sea kept getting drawn away.
The precipitous drop in spiritual qi density was keenly sensed by the cultivators.
They could not help feeling alarmed.
The battle had reached a white-hot stage.
On Ten Thousand Immortals Island, Li Fan, who was watching the battle, suddenly sensed something.
He shifted his gaze away from the sky, looking at the Cong Yun Sea shrouded under the great sun.
There, something seemed to be slowly taking form.
The Canghai Pearl in his original body informed him that this was not an illusion.
"Zhang, Hao, Bo," Li Fan said each word one by one in his mind, a strange look on his face.
He originally thought that summoning the winds to soar over Ten Thousand Immortals Island and attract the True Monarchs' attention to lay the trap against the Crimson Flame was already his limit.
He didn't expect that he would still make a move?
How is that possible?
No matter how fast he cultivated, it was impossible to break through to the Golden Core Realm in just a few years.
Even if Zhang Haobo had achieved Golden Core, in a battle at this level, he would still be like an ant.
What else could he do?
Li Fan's gaze tightly locked onto the air above the sea.
There, an illusory human figure was gradually taking shape.
Little by little, aside from Li Fan, many other cultivators also noticed the anomaly.
"Quick, look over there, what is that?"
"Could it be another True Monarch joining the battle?"
"That silhouette looks so familiar, have I seen it somewhere before?"
"It's Zhang Haobo who attacked Ten Thousand Immortals Island back then!"
Amidst the crowd's cries of alarm, Zhang Haobo's figure followed the wind and rapidly expanded, in a flash becoming as enormous as a mountain.
"This is..."
"Golden Core Dharma Body! He actually shattered his golden core!"
"Why? Such a young cultivator at Golden Core Realm has boundless prospects ahead!"
Information regarding the Golden Core Dharma Body instantly surfaced in Li Fan's mind.
Refining the golden core required peeping into the laws of heaven and earth.
If foundation building used enlightenment from the laws contained in Heavenly Treasures to build one's Dao Foundation, then the Golden Core consists of the laws personally comprehended by the cultivator.
The Golden Core Dharma Body is the embodiment of law condensed in one's Golden Core.
When detonating both it and the physical body, one could form a body purely composed of laws that briefly existed in heaven and earth.
The Dharma Body could only persist for less than half a day.
Once it dissipated, it signified the cultivator's complete death.
Only Golden Core cultivators facing mortal peril would use this method as an all-out strike.
Yet he didn't expect Zhang Haobo to unhesitatingly utilize it for no reason.
What was he trying to do?
The cultivators on Ten Thousand Immortals Island all focused their gazes on this Golden Core Dharma Body.
A thought that they dared not believe flashed in their minds in unison.
Did he want to slay a Dao Integration Realm as Golden Core?
Not even in their dreams would anyone dare attempt this.
However...
Zhang Haobo dared!
His body had grown to the limit, resembling a mountain.
Watching the raging battle not far away in the sky, the Crimson Flame and the five Soul Transformation True Monarchs were still fighting.
An inexplicable expression appeared on his face.
Extending his left hand, a deep blue water droplet appeared in the palm of his hand.
With a mixture of gratitude and nostalgia in his gaze, Zhang Haobo's eyes flashed with a trace of determination.
Suddenly, he clenched his hand, and the blue water droplet burst open with a resounding noise.
Endless blue light emerged from it, absorbed by Zhang Haobo.
And below, the Cong Yun Sea seemed to boil instantly, creating waves without wind.
In the midst of the surging waves, countless blue dots of light rapidly flew towards Zhang Haobo.
Zhang Haobo's body instantly expanded several times again.
Like a giant towering into the sky, with the black sky above his head and the blue sea beneath his feet, his eyes were level with the Crimson Flame.
Zhang Haobo looked at the familiar figure in front of him and said loudly.
"You!"
"Destroyed my hometown!"
"Burned my relatives!"
He paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Now..."
"Receive my sword!"
A dazzling blue light suddenly lit up between the sky and the sea.
The brilliance was dazzling, surpassing even the great sun in the sky.
At this moment, all the cultivators watching here instinctively closed their eyes.
Zhang Haobo, embodying the sword, slashed forward in an instant.
Fearless of life and death, he pressed forward!
"This sword!"
"I've waited for sixteen years!"
The attacks of the five True Monarchs intensified like a sudden rainstorm, immobilizing the Crimson Flame.
In the blink of an eye, the blue sword shadow crossed through multiple layers of spatial barriers and slashed down upon the Crimson Flame!
Passing through its body, the momentum unabated, it flew towards the distance.
However, Zhang Haobo had returned to his normal size.
The lower part of his body had completely dissipated.
Only the upper body floated in the air.
His hands firmly grasped the Crimson Flame, and under the purely scorching flame laws, his Dharma Body began to dissolve like a melting candle.
Soon, his features became blurred and grotesque.
But he never let go.
Zhang Haobo smiled again and said the last words.
"In fact..."
"I lied to you just now."
"I..."
"Still have twenty-seven swords."
Before the words fell, from various parts of the Cong Yun Sea.
Waves surged, emitting a deafening roar.
This was not just Zhang Haobo's power but the will of the entire Cong Yun Sea.
The sky wanted to burn the sea, but the sea resisted.
So...
Receive the twenty-eight swords of the Cong Yun Sea!
The remaining twenty-seven strands of blue light instantly took form.
Covering the sky, shining on all living beings.
Aimed at the Crimson Flame locked by Zhang Haobo, they arrived in an instant.
Twenty-seven swords, piercing through one after another.
Cracks of blue appeared on the transparent body of the Crimson Flame.
It silently looked at Zhang Haobo, who was almost completely melting while still gripping it, expressionless.
Then...
The flames suddenly dimmed.
The red figure gradually became transparent, as if melting into water, slowly dissipating.
At the same time, Zhang Haobo, who had only half a head left, gained a sudden surge of strength.
A body made of flames was generated from below his head.
A wave of pressure manifested simultaneously.
The five True Monarchs were forced to reveal their figures, descending to the sea surface.
Even the sun in the sky had to retract its radiance.
Flames danced around, and Zhang Haobo's body finally fully formed.
He looked down at the beings in the Cong Yun Sea below, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.
A new Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage was born.
On the Ten Thousand Immortals Island, there was silence.
All the cultivators, their gazes fixed, found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
"Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, a Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage who cultivated for sixteen years..."
They couldn't help but mutter to themselves.
Even Li Fan, the instigator of all this, looked at the figure in the sky with shock.
"He actually, actually accomplished it?"
The waves in the Cong Yun Sea surged, seemingly celebrating the birth of the new Immortal Sage and the escape from a disaster.
All eyes of every creature were now focused on the Dao Integration Realm Immortal Sage, Zhang Haobo.
Admiration, envy, fear...
Various emotions arose.
...
At this moment.
A thin black line silently pierced through Zhang Haobo's chest.
Behind him, a figure completely composed of a deep ink color appeared out of thin air.
In the Cong Yun Sea, at the moment when all beings saw this ink-colored figure, their souls trembled uncontrollably.
The moment they saw it, they knew its name.
Ink Death.
Zhang Haobo, stunned, tried to turn around.
But he found that he could no longer move.
His breath instantly weakened.
Zhang Haobo died!
