“Ji Fuyao, Ye Chen, your end is nigh!”
The words echoed. The Giant Crocodile Great Emperor moved, Great Emperor Dao Patterns surging beneath his feet. With a single stride, he covered a thousand zhang, his furious aura crackling like thunder as he lunged at Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen. The oppressive might of a Nine-star Great Emperor, vast as the abyss and boundless as the sea, instantly paralyzed Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen.
Ye Chen struggled, desperate to rise, but an overwhelming, heaven-reaching Stance bore down on him, pinning him utterly. He glanced at Ji Fuyao, his voice strained. “I can’t move!”
Ji Fuyao’s beautiful eyes furrowed slightly. She, too, found herself unable to stir. Even activating her Ultimate Emperor Weapon was beyond her! Such was the terrifying suppressive power of a Nine-star Great Emperor! Though both were heaven-defying prodigies, the chasm between them and a Nine-star Great Emperor was like the heavens and the earth!
Ye Chen’s gaze darted to the distance. “Senior…” he called out, a desperate plea in his voice.
Xuanji Holy Lord remained silent, lost in a delicate balance of Stance, a profoundly mysterious state of being. But as the Giant Crocodile Great Emperor made his move, his raw power inadvertently shattered that delicate Stance. Xuanji Holy Lord’s body stirred ever so slightly, yet her eyes remained closed.
Whoosh! Suddenly, several crystalline strands of Xuanji Holy Lord’s Three Thousand Zang of White Hair floated upwards, then shot forth from the void. They blazed with a terrifying momentum, evolving into a torrent of Dao and Rhyme, as fierce and destructive as an Ultimate Emperor Weapon.
The Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor and his cohorts barely had time to react before those crystalline strands, imbued with terrifying Stance, descended upon them. In a single breath, their Emperor’s might abruptly extinguished. Their surging demonic power was forced back into their bodies, and the Great Emperor Dao Patterns swirling around them began to shatter, one after another!
On the ground, Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen felt the crushing pressure vanish completely. They gazed up at the void, a mix of shock and awe on their faces. Even Yao Yan, within the jade pendant, was filled with astonishment. This white-haired senior… she was terrifying! Just a few strands of hair, and such devastating power!
“Xuanji Holy Lord!” they gasped, recognition dawning. The Demon Emperors instantly recognized Xuanji Holy Lord, their voices laced with terror. They knew that Xuanji Holy Lord had been searching for Ancient Great Medicine for days! They never imagined she would have found this very spot! Their hearts pounded with dread. Xuanji Holy Lord had achieved a “natural” Stance, perfectly integrated with the surrounding Heaven and Earth, making her utterly undetectable. That’s why they hadn’t sensed her presence! Had they known she was here, they wouldn’t have dared to make such a blatant move!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Those crystalline strands of hair, like bolts of lightning, descended with the Dao Rhyme of a Quasi-Dao Supreme, carrying an endless, chilling killing intent. At this sight, the Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor and his companions cried out in horror.
“Holy Lord, please spare us!” the Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor pleaded, his voice trembling. “We had no idea you were in seclusion here!”
“No! No…”
“Holy Lord, we were merely acting on the Demon Court’s orders…”
Even invoking the Demon Court’s name couldn’t halt Xuanji Holy Lord’s terrifying killing intent. It enveloped the entire area, crashing down upon them with devastating force. The numerous Demon Race Great Emperors desperately unleashed their Emperor Weapons, but in an instant, they were pierced through by the crystalline hair strands, shattering into fragments that rained down. It was utterly useless!
The next instant. The Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor and his companions, utterly horrified, spun to tear open the void and flee. But it was too late. The crystalline hair strands, shimmering with divine radiance, effortlessly pierced through their glabella. Splat! Splat! Splat! Blood erupted! Instant Kill! The corpses of the Demon Emperors rained down from the sky like a gruesome shower, slamming heavily onto the ground.
Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen exchanged glances, a shared look of profound shock in their eyes. Just a few strands of hair, floating up, had instantly killed several Nine-star Great Emperors! Xuanji Holy Lord was far more powerful than they had ever imagined!
“Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives!” Ye Chen and Ji Fuyao said in unison, bowing respectfully.
Xuanji Holy Lord’s crystalline hair strands drifted back into place, yet she offered no response. Ye Chen turned to Yao Yan, asking, “Yao Old Man, is Xuanji Holy Lord the grey-robed senior who saved me all those years ago?”
Yao Yan shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
In the following days. Xuanji Holy Lord remained seated cross-legged, unmoving as an ancient mountain, refining the Life Energy she had absorbed. Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, however, did not depart. They settled down some distance away, cultivating cross-legged.
***
Meanwhile, in the Stone Forest Land.
Pig-headed Great Emperor Zhu Liefang and his contingent continued their exploration of the Outer World Opportunities within the Stone Forest Land. Here, continuous mountain ranges, uneven terrain, and rolling boulders defined the landscape. Dao and Rhyme flowed ceaselessly, remnants of annihilated Outer World powers, leaving behind countless terrifying opportunities. Many of these supreme treasures were coveted even by Nine-star Great Emperors, who flocked to them like ducks to water!
During their exploration, they clashed with several groups of Ancient Yin Soldiers. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in some casualties for the Demon Race, but they ultimately managed to wipe out all the ghostly warriors. Pig-headed Great Emperor Zhu Liefang couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “The Bronze Ancient Palace truly lives up to its name,” he mused. “Though the dangers are immense, so are the opportunities!”
A Demon Race elder beside him nodded. “Indeed! If the opportunities in the Emperor Realm Area are already this terrifying, I can barely imagine what lies in the Above Emperor Realm Area!”
“The treasures there,” Zhu Liefang explained, “are said to be essential for anyone hoping to walk the Supreme Path. Without them, one cannot hope to travel far on that ultimate journey.”
Not long after. Pig-headed Great Emperor frowned. “Hmm? The Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor and his group have been gone for several days now. Why is there no news? Could the White Robe Great Emperor have made a move?”
The elder beside him replied, “Since entering the Bronze Ancient Palace, there’s been no word of the White Robe Great Emperor. No one knows where he’s hiding.”
Pig-headed Great Emperor’s frown deepened. He turned to a few subordinates. “A few of you, head to the Ancient Great Medicine Land. See what’s become of the Giant Crocodile Old Ancestor.”
Upon hearing this, an Azure Python Demon Race Great Emperor, her body shimmering with flowing light, transformed into a graceful green-skirted woman. She nodded. “As you command!” Soon after, the green-skirted woman, accompanied by several other Demon Race Great Emperors, tore through the void, flying towards the Ancient Great Medicine Land.
***
Back in the Ancient Great Medicine Land.
Several more days passed. Xuanji Holy Lord remained seated cross-legged, her Three Thousand Zang of White Hair shining brilliantly, wrapped around her perfect, delicate form, accentuating her proud curves. Her aura grew increasingly ethereal, Great Emperor Dao Patterns flowing ceaselessly around her. The surrounding Eerie Power and Ominous Power grew visibly thinner, dissipating into the air.
Ye Chen smiled faintly at Ji Fuyao. “Senior Sister, it seems our Senior has succeeded.”
Ji Fuyao’s starry eyes twinkled as she nodded in agreement. In these past few days, while cultivating, they had also secretly observed and comprehended some of Xuanji Holy Lord’s Great Emperor Dao Patterns. What were Dao Patterns, truly? They were the very Dao of a Great Emperor, etched into existence! An Emperor Realm cultivator needed to prove their Dao within the Heaven and Earth to continue their path.
Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen had both experienced the baptism of Great Emperor Dao Patterns from numerous Grand Dao Sect Old Ancestors, and had witnessed the Dao Patterns of many other Great Emperors. They understood the fundamental aura of Great Emperor Dao Patterns. Whether from the Human Race, Alien Races, or the Demon Race, these Dao Patterns, though profoundly mysterious and ineffable, all originated from the Heaven and Earth, possessing a tangible sense of “existence.” Yet, the Dao Patterns emanating from Xuanji Holy Lord were subtly eerie. They seemed to repel the very fabric of Heaven and Earth, as if they shouldn’t “exist” in this reality.
Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen both shook their heads, baffled. Such profound mysteries far exceeded their current understanding. Perhaps only their Master could truly comprehend such a thing.
Just then. Xuanji Holy Lord suddenly erupted with divine radiance, shining like a brilliant white star. From within her Internal World, a profound, bell-like resonance echoed, clearing the minds of Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen, filling them with a sense of ethereal wonder. She rose gracefully, her slender, jade-like legs appearing like pillars of pure light, her white hair flowing around her, a peerless divine figure.
Ji Fuyao and Ye Chen were slightly startled. Xuanji Holy Lord’s cold, ethereal voice drifted out, the first words she had spoken since arriving at this place. “I’m leaving.”