572: Chapter 573 Success!

With this thought, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei abruptly formed hand seals, and the lightning around his body surged more than tenfold.

The purple-blue Heavenly Punishment Lightning circled and surged around him like billions of lightning Dragons.

His Aura climbed to an unprecedented height in an instant, causing even the entire Celestial Emperor Palace to tremble slightly with his action.

"Punishment Great World, open!"

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive punishment barrier expanded from him as the center, enveloping the entire battlefield.

Within the barrier, all Laws between heaven and earth were forcibly replaced by the Dao of Punishment.

Every inch of the Void Realm was permeated with purple-blue lightning, as if one were placed within the true Heavenly Dao.

Within this barrier, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei was the sole Dominator.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the overwhelming power of punishment pressing down, yet he showed not a shred of panic.

"Punishment Great World?"

He chuckled softly, unconcerned.

"If you had the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, this Great World of yours might have been able to trap me for a while.

But you... dare you let the Heavenly Dao know what you are doing?"

This sentence, like a needle, precisely pierced into the most hidden secret in the depths of True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's heart.

He was utilizing the Dao of Punishment, and the essence of the Dao of Punishment is to act on behalf of the Heavenly Dao.

If he were to invoke the power of the Heavenly Dao while casting the Punishment Great World, it would attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao itself.

This, in itself, was actually nothing; at most, it would make his superior think that the subordinate was incompetent, unable to handle even a small matter and still needing to ask for help, but it was still better than botching the job.

But, who could blame True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei for having some small ulterior motives?

As a Nascent Soul True Monarch, although he followed the path of acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao and could be classified as belonging to the Heavenly Dao faction.

But, who is willing to remain subordinate to others?

Therefore, although True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's Punishment Great World had monstrous power, it always lacked that final "Heavenly Dao blessing."

Without the Origin of the Heavenly Dao as a backing, the Dao of Punishment was ultimately just a facade, lacking that trace of irresistible "Heavenly Mandate" in its power.

And Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's Dao of Reincarnation was a self-contained lineage, requiring no external blessing.

Between this exchange, their difference in level was immediately clear.

At first, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei was still able to trade blows with Soul-Devouring Demon Lord by relying on the Celestial Emperor's authority and the blessing of the Punishment Great World.

Lightning and dim yellow light flashed alternately as the two unleashed their Divine Abilities, attacking back and forth.

Every collision caused the Void Realm to shatter and reform, and the Laws to disintegrate and regenerate.

But as time went on, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's energy began to gradually decline, while Soul-Devouring Demon Lord grew stronger with every fight.

The power of Reincarnation was greedily devouring the fragments of Laws leaking from his opponent in every collision, constantly strengthening itself.

"Suppress!"

In another collision, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei shouted sharply and struck out with his palm; billions of lightning rays converged into a purple-blue pillar of heaven, crashing down with overwhelming, mountain-toppling power.

However, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord merely flicked his hand, and the six Reincarnation light wheels spun in unison, tearing the lightning pillar to shreds.

Then, the six light wheels merged into one, transforming into a dim yellow blade of Reincarnation, which he swung back down toward True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei!

"Slash!"

That blade fell like the entire Yellow Springs river condensed into a single sharp edge, piercing through layers of barriers of the Punishment Great World and precisely striking the arm of True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's Celestial Emperor Incarnation.

The dim yellow power of Reincarnation spread up along the wound like maggots on bones, attempting to erode the Celestial Emperor Origin within that Incarnation.

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei let out a muffled groan and decisively used the Heavenly Punishment Lightning to sever the arm eroded by Reincarnation, along with the power of Reincarnation, which exploded into rays of lightning across the sky.

He retreated rapidly to stabilize his position, but in his eyes, hidden behind the lightning, there was already an unprecedented gravity.

He had fallen into a disadvantage.

And, an increasingly obvious disadvantage.

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's breathing became slightly heavy as he looked at the figure opposite him, whose body was surging with dim yellow light of Reincarnation and whose energy was still steadily climbing, and a thought he was extremely reluctant to admit surfaced in his heart.

That was that he was inferior to Soul-Devouring Demon Lord!

Er, although this was a fact, not to mention that Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was a notch higher than him in dao attainment and cultivation.

Moreover, the Law of Reincarnation mastered by the opponent was also of a higher status than his Great Dao of Punishment!

So, it was perfectly normal that he couldn't beat him!

But if he continued to fight like this, the one who would be defeated today would inevitably be him.

Therefore, he had to find a way to escape his current predicament.

At first, the method True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei thought of was to descend with his true body, using the power of a Nascent Soul True Monarch to forcibly end this farce.

But after thinking about it, he felt it was inappropriate.

Moving his true body would create too much of a commotion, and it would easily attract the attention of the True Monarchs from the other major grotto-heavens.

Moreover, if he descended with his true body, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could also descend with his true body, and then it would be difficult to resolve.

Furthermore, the consumption of the Nascent Soul True Monarch's Origin was truly a major problem; even if he had a relatively close relationship with the Heavenly Dao, he was no exception.

On this point, the Heavenly Lord was completely impartial.

With this thought, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei already had a decision in his heart.

He was not a hesitant person; having cultivated to this point, reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he relied on decisiveness and the ability to make trade-offs at critical moments.

Since it was difficult to suppress Soul-Devouring Demon Lord with his own power, and continuing to fight would only lead to a slow defeat, he had no choice but to seek help from the Heavenly Dao.

Although this move also meant that his superior would think he was incompetent and needed external assistance.

But losing Face was still better than losing everything, right?

Moreover, as long as he could ultimately preserve the Divine Court's Foundation and complete his series of plans, then the humiliation of today might have a chance to be redeemed in the future.

Therefore, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei hesitated no longer.

His figure suddenly returned to the high, ethereal Nine Heavens, widening the distance between him and Soul-Devouring Demon Lord.

He then formed complex hand seals with both hands, his ten fingers flying like blooming lotus flowers, while simultaneously chanting true words, every syllable exploding like thunder above the Nine Heavens.

"Heavenly Lord above, Chiyan acts on behalf of the Heavenly Dao. Now encountering evil spirits disrupting the Laws, with the netherworld turned upside down, my strength is insufficient. I implore the Heavenly Lord to descend, bless my body, Heavenly Punishment Decree, all Laws return to the Origin! Decree!"

The moment the true words fell, the entire Punishment Great World trembled violently.

However, the grand scene of thunder splitting the sky and all Laws resonating, which he had expected, did not appear.

Instead, there was an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible change.

It was as if some extremely ancient and vast existence had descended from the nether.

Silent and soundless, yet the clamor of the entire battlefield became blurred at that moment, as if separated by a veil.

An indescribable sense of stillness quietly permeated the area, as if heaven and earth themselves were holding their breath and watching.

Immediately after, the purple-blue Heavenly Punishment Lightning around True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei began to change color.

Within the originally pure purple-blue lightning, a layer of nearly transparent golden halo slowly emerged.

That gold was extremely faint and light, like the morning light flashing over morning dew, yet it carried an indescribable vastness and majesty.

It attached itself to every bolt of lightning, giving those lightning rays a hint of holiness.

That was the descent of the Heavenly Dao's fortune, bestowing a trace of the Heavenly Dao's status.

Suddenly, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei slowly opened his eyes.

In his pupils, lightning and gold intertwined; his gaze was deeper, and it also carried an unprecedented indifference that viewed all living beings as straw dogs.

Under the blessing of the power of the Heavenly Dao, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei felt that a new, invisible bond had suddenly appeared between him and the entire world.

It was as if the entire Heavenly Dao was endorsing him.

In an instant, his familiar confidence returned, and his back straightened a bit!

And Soul-Devouring Demon Lord just stood above the Yellow Springs, his arms crossed over his chest, watching all of this with a calm gaze.

He did not make a move to stop him.

From the moment True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei had any unusual movement, he had been watching coldly as the opponent invoked the power of the Heavenly Dao to descend.

It was not until that golden radiance of the Heavenly Dao fell into True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's body that the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

The light in the depths of his eyes became even brighter.

That was the kind of look a hunter would have when seeing their prey finally step into a trap.

"Finally... drawn it in."

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord murmured, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

And at this moment, the power of the Heavenly Dao had completely merged into True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's body.

Immediately, he looked up abruptly, and the golden Heavenly Punishment Lightning around his body surged violently; billions of lightning rays circled and surged around him like golden giant Dragons.

Every bolt of lightning was attached with the judgmental power of the Heavenly Dao Origin, majestic and vast to the extreme.

"Evil Path!"

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's voice resounded through the Nine Heavens, every word carrying the irresistibility of the Heavenly Mandate's blessing.

"Today is the time of your end!"

As soon as his words fell, he struck out with his palm, and the golden Heavenly Punishment Lightning poured down like a torrent, crashing down toward Soul-Devouring Demon Lord while carrying the judgmental intent of the Heavenly Dao's power.

Wherever the lightning passed, the Void Realm was silently annihilated, the Laws automatically retreated, and even the entire Punishment Great World emitted an overwhelmed resonance at that moment.

Facing this strike, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord did not dare to be arrogant; with a wave of his hand, the six Reincarnation light wheels unfolded.

However, this time, that golden lightning actually forcibly tore the six light wheels apart, striking him with undiminished force.

It knocked him back hundreds of zhang, and the Yellow Springs beneath his feet surged with monstrous waves.

"Haha..."

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord steadied his figure and brushed off the remaining lightning fragments from his robes; far from being angry, he actually laughed out loud.

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei frowned slightly, feeling that the opponent's reaction was somewhat wrong.

But at this moment, he had no time to think carefully; the time for the Heavenly Dao's power blessing was limited, and he had to finish the battle quickly.

He formed hand seals again, this time with even more complex movements.

As his ten fingers flew, golden runes flew out from his palms, interweaving in the Void Realm into a lightning array that was immense to the extreme.

The lightning array unfolded, covering almost more than half of the Punishment Great World, with billions of golden lightning bolts crisscrossing within it like a heavenly net.

He wanted to completely suppress and kill Soul-Devouring Demon Lord in one fell swoop, leaving no future troubles.

"Exterminate Evil!"

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei shouted sharply, and the entire lightning array operated to its limit.

Endless power of the Heavenly Dao was drawn from the nether, gathered at the core of the lightning array, and transformed into a golden lightning pillar capable of crushing all things, crashing down toward Soul-Devouring Demon Lord!

The power of that strike was so terrifying that it could split the entire Middle Three Heavens in two.

However, just at the moment when that golden lightning pillar was about to fall.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord suddenly laughed.

"Thank you."

He said softly, his voice carrying an indescribable yet chilling tone.

The moment his words fell, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord slammed his hands together, and the entire ocean of Yellow Springs surged and boiled crazily at this moment!

"Reincarnation, establish!"

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's voice was like an ancient bell, resounding through the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

The entire ocean of Yellow Springs trembled suddenly, and the dim yellow river water condensed violently at that instant, then began to rise!

Phantoms of towering buildings rose from the river water, as if an ancient city that had been sleeping was awakening in an instant.

On the bank of the Yellow Springs, the outline of a huge city slowly formed, and three ancient seal characters on the city gate emitted a deep blue light.

Fengdu City.

Inside the city, countless nether palaces crisscrossed, and eerie ghost fires dotted them like stars.

A long bridge spanned across the Yellow Springs, the bridge body built of countless gray-white stone bricks, and the bridge railings were covered with blurred names from before they were alive.

That was the Naihe Bridge!

And beneath the bridge, the Wangchuan River surged endlessly, with countless blurred soul fragments floating on the river surface, as if the joys and sorrows of billions of living beings' lives were flickering within it.

Fengdu Ghost City, Naihe Bridge, Wangchuan River...

A complete prototype of the Underworld, at the very moment the power of the Heavenly Dao was poured down, formed thunderously above the Nine Heavens.

Its scale was grand, its Aura vast, like an ancient temple that had been sleeping for billions of years awakening in a single day.

In an instant, the entire firmament was dyed into an eternal twilight interwoven with deep blue and dim yellow.

At this moment, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei seemed to have thought of something, and his pupils contracted suddenly.

"You, you actually dared to do this!!!"

For the first time, his voice carried a tremor interwoven with shock and anger.

He finally knew where his unease came from.

And at this moment, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord stood at the peak of the highest nether palace in Fengdu City, looking down at True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei, who was filled with shock and anger.

His eyes carried a meaning that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or pity.

Did they all think that for him to establish the land of Reincarnation, he needed the twelve Divine Lords and the Celestial Emperor Origin?

Hehe, they really underestimated him!

Those things added together were at most only at the level of a False Nascent Soul.

If he really wanted to build a land of Reincarnation, why would he need to go to such great lengths?

As a dignified Late Stage Nascent Soul Great True Lord, the things that leaked through his fingers were a hundred times purer than them, and they were also incomparably compatible.

However, he did not do so, and the reason was simple.

That was that from beginning to end, the only thing Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was after was one thing.

That was the Great Dao of Reincarnation.

It was not the Law of Reincarnation that he had currently comprehended and mastered, but the Great Dao of Reincarnation that belonged exclusively to Xuanxiao Realm.

However, the Great Dao of Reincarnation had disappeared from Xuanxiao Realm for many years, and even the Heavenly Dao had hidden it tightly.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had tried to find it several times, but always in vain.

Especially the last time, when he tried to find Reincarnation in the Xuanling Secret Realm, he missed the opportunity due to various accidents, falling short at the last moment.

And this time, perhaps it was destiny, some True Monarch's small actions reactivated the contingency plan he had left in the Divine Court.

It allowed him to unexpectedly find the opportunity to relocate the land of Reincarnation, which was why he went with the flow and completed all of this.

And True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei had personally filled in the final piece of the puzzle for him!

It was not to say that Soul-Devouring Demon Lord needed any power of the Heavenly Dao.

Everything he had done before was just to paralyze and deceive the opponent, letting them lower their guard.

And his goal was to make the opponent mobilize the vast fortune of the Heavenly Dao.

And his purpose was precisely to use this fortune of the Heavenly Dao to open up the invisible passage connecting the Origin of the Heavenly Dao and the current world!

Then, using his own Law of Reincarnation as a guide, he would search for the Great Dao of Reincarnation hidden by the Heavenly Dao!

And all of this was proceeding according to his plan!