Chapter 137: Ten Days, Ten Earths

Wuyun did not hear the words of Gantuo. Channeling a wisp of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder through his soul, he shattered the restriction and tossed Jia Youke, Long Yi, and Rongya back toward Gantuo, speaking as if issuing his final instructions: "Teach Yueqi well, and make sure you never let him pick up your habit of drinking!"

The next moment, Immortal Emperor Tongtian shattered Wuyun's soul, kindling the very last remnants of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder to forcefully unlock Wuyun's memories.

Just a ten-thousandth of a second shy—just as he caught a glimpse of something resplendent and beyond comprehension—a tremendous force battered him backward.

It was no longer energy born of stellar power, but something fused with an entirely different, mysterious force.

The three piercing emperors who had struck in unison were likewise repelled. Deep within the planet enshrouded by their formation, a patch of sky abruptly materialized.

The mist vanished, giving way to an auspicious celestial phenomenon.

Regardless of space, direction, or substance, everything enveloped by this sky was completely subsumed within it, much like being drawn into the divine ability of a Mirage Beast.

"The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!" Piercing Emperor muttered in confusion, to which Wuyun responded with a cold sneer, "Ten Heavens and Ten Lands, standing as equals with the heavens."

Wuyun's true resistance had arrived. At that moment, Gantuo remarked indifferently, "A senior is truly a senior—he would use a fine thread to thread even a needle, just to pierce his own heart."

These Ten Heavens and Ten Lands made up for the previous Nine Heavens and Ten Lands of the little floral turtle, boasting a defensive capability of staggering proportions!

As the foundational root of a major sect and an entity akin to a sixth-grade imperial artifact, even a dozen immortal emperors would have to carefully weigh their own strength before approaching.

Yet the formation remained while the people were gone, leaving a lingering sentiment of melancholy in their hearts.

Emperor Tongtian's expression shifted continuously. He truly never imagined that the Unfettered Immortal Emperor would actually imprint his ten ultimate offensive techniques within the Ten Heavens.

Every single strike was capable of injuring an immortal emperor. Even for him, a single blow would mean injury.

Such was the advantage of a sect-protecting grand array!

As the Ten Heavens rotated, ninety-nine types of weather phenomena manifested. Within them, the power of the six laws intertwined and transformed, forming the supreme number of ninety-nine.

Beneath overcast skies, biting winds pierced the marrow. Amidst frigid heavens, icy malice assailed the soul. Within frozen skies, numbing chills congealed the bones. In foggy skies, illusions spawned endlessly. Under thundering heavens, violent lightning cracked. Within electric skies, dazzling brilliance flared. Beneath rainy skies, all creation sank. Under sunny skies, scorching light seared the flesh.

...Across the ninety-nine days, each day brought a unique method to strip away life and shackle the soul. Moreover, it merely trapped the enemy, wearing them down layer by layer just like the previous formation diagram.

However, this time it included ten even more formidable strikes from a Second Tribulation Immortal Emperor—the absolute strongest ten strikes, stored at the cost of the Unfettered Immortal Emperor sustaining severe injuries.

With a cold expression, Tongtian glanced at the corpse of the Dragon Emperor carried by the mirror-wielding figure, and commanded, "Take the flame. Send him in."

This time, Luohuawu remained silent. That half of the prize, she dared not claim. Yet she was astonished: why had the core stellar spirit—which aided in the ascension to the immortal emperor realm—defected to Wuyun?

The mirror-wielding figure retrieved the flame and dispatched the Dragon Emperor's corpse to draw out the attacks left behind by the immortal emperor hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Strong or weak, a single test would reveal the truth.

The Dragon Emperor's corpse leaped forward, soaring hundreds of thousands of meters high, plunging into the ninety-nine days to blot out the sky.

The moment it entered, a wave of imperial pressure surged forth. Disregarding the suppressing formation within the ten heavens, it charged directly toward Wuyun, the mastermind behind it all.

"The Unfettered's First Strike: Astral Mountain Sword Flight!"

***

Wuyun seized the timing impeccably. The exact moment the adversary was pinned down by the stubborn layers of the ninety-nine days, a torrent of power poured forth.

Such precision in choosing the moment of attack caused Tongtian to furrow his brow even deeper. Without hundreds of trials and refinements, even he could not have calculated things so perfectly.

The entire body of the Dragon Emperor's corpse glowed brilliantly. Struck by the onslaught, it was forced high into the air, where it drifted motionlessly.

That dazzling Astral Mountain Sword Flight—where ten thousand swords resembled mountains, piercing every part of the dragon's corpse—why had it met with resistance and suddenly gone silent?

It was entirely because those divine abilities had been driven deep into the interior of the Dragon Emperor's corpse, carving out a realm within. All the corpse qi was ground away by the metallic energy, faintly producing a different kind of qualitative change.

Free from control, the Dragon Emperor's corpse hung silently in the air. The mirror-wielding figure rapidly pinched several immortal seals, yet received no reaction. Generous as ever, he pointed toward Emperor Snake and Chen Liao and said, "Your turn!"

Tongtian raised his chin slightly, sweeping his divine sense through the Dragon Emperor's corpse before voicing his suspicion: "This strike from the Ethereal Immortal Emperor was not at its peak; it merely obliterated the controlling soul within the body."

"I wouldn't dare go. If you want to go, you go!" Piercing Emperor shook his head. He had already obtained what he desired; as for Wuyun's memories and the Divine Realm Blade, he had no wish to touch them.

As someone who frequently excavated ancient graves, there were certain taboos one must never violate. Just like Emperor Snake's sword—rumor had it that anyone who crossed paths with her met a miserable end.

Tongtian cast a glance at Old Mother Sihao. The latter's unkempt, disheveled hair suddenly transformed, each strand morphing into a miniature replica of herself as they burrowed into the ten heavens. Attempting to seize an opportunistic shortcut to draw out the Unfettered's strike, she was instead obliterated by the eighty-first day the moment she entered, reduced mere nourishment.

Immortal Emperor Famen offered a cold smile without a word. A ray of light emerged from his chest, and upon closer inspection, a sapling was growing within, transforming into a towering tree that enveloped his entire body.

Atop his head, a pearl also materialized, blazing with brilliance that echoed the tree's branches to form an absolute defensive array.

As he personally stepped into the ten heavens, Emperor Snake narrowed her eyes. As fellow immortal emperors, they each possessed their own life-saving barriers; none dared to speak lightly or judge right from wrong.

With no immortal emperors standing in his way, Immortal Emperor Famen stepped inside. The ninety-nine layers of heaven were like a spatial rift it encountered—they could merely patch him up clumsily, unable to erase him.

Watching Immortal Emperor Famen draw ever closer, Wuyun's soul shouted out, "Cultivation has not come easily for you; I advise you to leave at once."

Immortal Emperor Famen extended a hand, striking directly with the power of laws to form a dazzling gateway. From within it, an endless stream of exotic, evil beasts emerged—creatures with dragon heads, elephant bodies, and bristling tusks.

The moment they appeared, all ninety-nine heavens were disrupted, breaking the risk of Wuyun using the formation diagram to immobilize him.

"This strike was originally called Mutual Destruction: Ten Thousand Swords Return to One! I modified it slightly: Striking an Ox Across a Mountain, Ten Thousand Swords Pitiless!"

Another strike of the Ethereal Immortal Emperor was unleashed by Wuyun. Such attacks were depleted with every use, until the energy stored within the array was completely exhausted!

Whenever he heard the phrase "Striking an Ox Across a Mountain," Old Bear Three would burst into laughter, because the mirror-wielding figure was essentially an ox, and his descendants—beef—tasted even better.

"Just how fragrant is the flesh of an immortal emperor..."

Before Old Bear Three could finish the thought, Gantuo kicked him, sneering disdainfully, "At the realm of an immortal emperor, one can regenerate from a single drop of blood, and every fragment of flesh can transform into their own form to fight to the bitter end. Otherwise, what did you think makes immortal emperors so damn formidable?"

Realizing his slip of the tongue, Gantuo looked toward the struggling Immortal Emperor Famen, who had pushed his defenses to the absolute limit. Within his body lay two treasures, both top-tier defensive artifacts. Even if a Second Tribulation Immortal Emperor came to trade blows with him, he would not feel the slightest bit of fear.

Yet facing the technique of Striking an Ox Across a Mountain, he was dumbfounded.

The surging energy saw some strands tear through space, some teleport, some transform into various shapes, and others turn into immortal weapons. Yet just as they were about to strike the protective treasures on his body, they vanished without a trace.

None of the attacks appeared on any other immortal emperor; instead, they struck directly inside his body, targeting the array-stone pearl and the precious tree that continuously provided his protection.

Equivalent to this strike acting directly from within space onto the vicinity of the array's treasured pearl.

Immortal Emperor Famen furrowed his brow, waving his hand in an attempt to move both treasures, but the ninety-nine heavens outside quickly suppressed him, plunging him into a dilemma.

If any immortal emperor had chosen to lend a hand at this moment, Immortal Emperor Famen could have easily resolved the crisis. However, those who reached the realm of immortal emperors were exceedingly proud; stepping in to save him would only seem presumptuous and unsolicited.

Every immortal emperor calculated their own actions meticulously. If there were truly mortal danger, could Immortal Emperor Famen not bring himself to cry out for help?

Rather than asking for assistance, he would sooner let his precious pearl shatter and his internal immortal tree be battered to pieces. Driven by this Striking an Ox Across a Mountain, he was beaten back to the very edge of the ten-heavens array diagram.

Swallowing a mouthful of the absolute bane that welled up from his injuries, he shook his head and said, "What formidable means!"

Having suffered a strike and retreated, it was once again the turn of the mirror-wielding faction. Chen Liao shifted slightly, and the third-grade immortal bow behind him condensed a beam of light, converging supreme energy to shoot directly at Wuyun's true form.

The concentrated beam of light ignored space and time, instantly appearing before Wuyun, only to be blocked by a spatial vortex manifesting from the ten heavens. Yet as time passed, even the vortex could not withstand it, nor could the might of the entire ninety-nine days dissolve it.

Wuyun sighed helplessly, casually unleashing a strike from the Unfettered Immortal Emperor to shatter the beam. "If your true body could come," he remarked, "I would gladly bow and surrender as a captive! Your skills are utterly inferior to this so-called Tongtian Great Immortal Emperor!"

Faced with the praise, Immortal Emperor Famen shook his head and replied, "Every trade has its master, and every art its specialty. I merely rely on the special nature of this immortal bow. However, my bow requires nurturing after its three strongest strikes to minimize wear and tear. Furthermore, every single arrow of light is forged from spatial stone powder—they are disposable items. Every one used is one less. The cost is simply too great!"

Tongtian and the others heard this without comment. As a vice-leader of the Rogue Immortal Alliance, how could he not possess immense methods if he lacked grand means?

Without further ado, Immortal Emperor Sihao stepped forward. Though she appeared young, she was actually hundreds of thousands of years old—a veteran immortal emperor. Because she had committed too many atrocities that defied the heavens, the universe refused to tolerate her, forever trapping her at the Second Immortal Tribulation.

From being disheveled, her hair suddenly stood on end. A spatial domain riddled with barbed hooks formed above her head, and countless immortal-king-grade evil spirits wailed as they charged toward Wuyun together.

Old Bear Three and the Battle King stared in utter astonishment. Just how many immortal kings or profound immortals had to be slaughtered to nurture such a form?

"Now I finally understand why she is called Old Mother Sihao. She has existed for far too long, and among entry-level immortal emperors, she belongs to the invincible category." Luohuawu was subdued by her brutal methods.

When the barbed spatial domain swept across the ninety-nine days, the oppressive might descended, only to be swallowed up by the spatial evil spirits like a funnel. The previously fallen Immortal Famen had already grasped the underlying mystery, which was why Immortal Emperor Sihao approached with absolute confidence.

The ninety-nine days could not be altered; how was Wuyun to defend himself?

Watching the first-grade natal imperial artifact devour the ten-heavens array diagram like a woodboring insect, Wuyun sighed deeply, his gaze sharp and his expression stern. "To commit so much slaughter that even your natal imperial artifact cannot advance—that is a tragedy. You are like a woodworm gnawing away in the universe; living is merely suffering!"

"Nonsense! The Heavenly Dao requires me to exterminate living beings to curb their rampant growth. It is your jealousy and suspicion that have plunged me into this dilemma. One day, the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal World will perceive their evil faith, and one day, it will acknowledge that what I have done is right!"

Old Mother Sihao accelerated, closing in until she actually enshrouded Wuyun. With a shake, Wuyun vanished, reappearing inside her imperial artifact. She smiled hideously, on the verge of obliterating his physical form and soul, when suddenly, a powerful force emanated from within the artifact.

That force was remarkably simple! A single true word!

"Namo Amitabha, well-done, well-done!"