577: Chapter 578 Gathering

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei naturally would not sit back and watch.

Although he was not clear when True Lord Qingxu became so deeply righteous,

the other party being able to come and reinforce was today's greatest variable.

His figure flashed, and the purple-cyan Heavenly Punishment Lightning surged out like a tidal wave, forcibly cutting off that beam of Reincarnation light halfway.

"Fellow Daoist, feel free to act!" The thunder light around True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei flourished greatly, and his voice sounded like thunder.

"Leave this place to me!"

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's offensive was blocked by him with all his strength, and the thunder light and the light of Reincarnation intertwined and collided once again, buying Lu Ming a precious breathing space.

Lu Ming took a deep breath, and the light converging the clear and turbid in his palm had condensed to the extreme.

He no longer hesitated, his hands suddenly pushing forward.

"Go!"

In an instant, a beam of clear and turbid light violently burst forth from his palm.

Like a divine spear piercing through heaven and earth, it shot towards Soul-Devouring Demon Lord at a speed that seemed slow, but was actually fast to the point of defying common sense!

Wherever that light passed, the Void Realm annihilated silently, and the Law automatically retreated, as if even heaven and earth itself were holding their breath and concentrating for the arrival of this Divine Ability.

The Yin-Yang Annihilation Light used the convergence of Yin and Yang to annihilate all Laws.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord initially did not mind it.

In his view, True Lord Qingxu was merely a Nascent Soul Early Stage whose Realm had dropped; even if he brewed some ultimate move, it would not cause him any damage.

He did not even intentionally dodge, simply casually laying down a layer of Reincarnation barrier in front of him, intending to take this strike head-on.

However, the moment that beam of clear and turbid light collided with the Reincarnation barrier, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's pupils suddenly shrank.

That layer of Reincarnation barrier, which he regarded as indestructible, actually began to "dissolve" the instant that light touched it.

Like solid ice meeting raging fire, his Law of Reincarnation was peeled, decomposed, and melted layer by layer in front of that divine light where Yin and Yang converged, until it completely melted away.

It was as if that light contained a certain power capable of disintegrating Reincarnation.

But how could this be possible!

His Law of Reincarnation could anchor everything around him into the cycle of Reincarnation, making it difficult for all things to erode it by even a fraction.

This was one of his fundamental reliances for traversing the Xuanxiao Realm, and also the Foundation for him to remain undefeated in this battle.

Yet True Lord Qingxu's divine light of Yin and Yang actually tore open this watertight defense line?

This was simply incredible; even if the other party's Realm had not dropped, he was merely a Nascent Soul Early Stage, how could he possibly achieve this step?

However, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's combat instinct reacted within a thousandth of a breath.

He abruptly retreated, simultaneously driving more Reincarnation power to fill the collapsing barrier, and ultimately successfully resolving it.

But Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's expression had already darkened to the extreme, his gaze staring fixedly at Lu Ming, for the first time seriously examining this opponent whom he had originally disdained.

Within those pupils surging with dim-yellow Reincarnation light, his initial contempt and impatience gradually turned into an extremely rare solemnity.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had lived for so many years and seen all kinds of great winds and waves, but the shock that strike brought him just now was solid and real.

Although the defense just now was done casually, the Law of Reincarnation, which originally possessed the characteristic of being almost immune to all Laws, was actually torn open with a crack by a Nascent Soul Early Stage.

No, I'm afraid it was not that simple.

In just a split second, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's Divine Thought flashed thousands of times, repeatedly deducing the details of the other party's strike in his mind, and quickly figured out the key point.

Between the Yin-Yang Law and the Law of Reincarnation, it was not a simple relationship of restraint; rather, there was a certain extremely subtle commonality between the two at the level of the Law's Origin.

The flow of Yin and Yang, the alternation of Life and Death, and the cycle of all things had a core sharing the same Origin as the Dao of Reincarnation, yet flowing in different streams.

Like two tributaries, they seemed to part ways, yet they ultimately reached the same destination.

Therefore, when that "Yin-Yang Annihilation Divine Light" came into contact with the Law of Reincarnation, it produced an effect similar to "dissolution".

This also meant that between the Yin-Yang Law and the Law of Reincarnation, there indeed existed a natural relationship of mutual generation and restraint.

And True Lord Qingxu's strike just now had clearly touched upon this layer of profundity.

Or rather, this was simply the result of True Lord Qingxu's bitter cultivation in seclusion for many years.

However, after realizing this point, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's killing intent did not decrease but instead increased, intensifying like a fire poured with oil.

The Great Dao intertwined, leading to the same destination by different paths.

Between Laws and Laws, there would always be some subtle connections of mutual generation and restraint.

But throughout the Xuanxiao Realm, I am afraid not even a few pairs could be found that were so close and so highly targeted.

If True Lord Qingxu were allowed to continue growing, once his Realm recovered and his dao foundation stabilized, he would inevitably become a serious hidden trouble for himself in the future.

The struggle for the Great Dao was inherently the most cruel; there was simply no possibility of peaceful coexistence.

Therefore, rather than waiting to passively cope at that time, it was better to ruthlessly strike and leave him here while the other party's Realm had dropped and his strength was at a low point.

This would clear obstacles for today's battle and eliminate a serious future trouble for later.

Thinking of this, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord no longer hesitated.

He suddenly raised his hand, forming hand seals with both hands, weaving one ancient and obscure Reincarnation seal after another between his flying fingers.

The dim-yellow Reincarnation light surged and condensed wildly around him, eventually slowly unfolding in the Void Realm like a Netherworld scroll.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord chanted incantations in his mouth, his voice sounding like an eternal secluded pool, hoarse and cold.

"The Netherworld has a path, the Six Paths are not empty; souls return to their homeland, corporeal souls enter the Yellow Springs. Flowers by the banks of the Three-Path River are like blood, shadows at the head of the Naihe Bridge are like smoke."

"Reincarnation Dao, appear!"

The moment those incantations fell, the entire firmament trembled.

The dim-yellow Reincarnation light spread out in all directions like a tidal wave, condensing a grand and bizarre Netherworld scene in the Void Realm.

The phantom of Fengdu Ghost City slowly emerged amidst the Reincarnation light, with the city gates wide open, and thousands of secluded blue ghost fires dotted among them like stars.

Naihe Bridge spanned across the invisible Wangchuan River, and the river water beneath the bridge churned with countless blurry figures and broken fragments of memories.

By the banks of the Three-Path River, large patches of Manjusaka flowers bloomed silently in the dim-yellow light, their blood-red petals swaying gracefully in the dimness, emanating a mesmerizing and eerie beauty that made one's heart palpitate.

The entire battlefield seemed to be dragged into a massive Underworld illusion.

The power of Reincarnation was like an invisible inescapable net, simultaneously enveloping True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei and Lu Ming within it.

Countless dead souls' phantoms churned and shuttled through the Netherworld scene, emitting silent wails and grievances.

Like an endless suffering of Reincarnation, it was trying to drag all living beings into it.

That power was majestic to the extreme, causing even True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's expression to change slightly.

His both palms fluttered, and purple-cyan thunder surged out like a wild dragon, attempting to tear apart this Netherworld illusion.

However, the power of Reincarnation was as viscous and heavy as a mud swamp.

Although his thunder blasted large patches of voids when crashing into it, it was quickly filled and mended by the churning Reincarnation light.

Just like being trapped in quicksand, the more one struggled, the deeper one sank.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming also felt that overwhelming sense of oppression.

His expression condensed slightly as he formed seals with both hands simultaneously. The Qi of Yin and Yang flowed wildly around him, transforming into a barrier interwoven with clear and turbid to protect him within.

On that barrier, the black and white colors circled endlessly like two swimming fish, continuously separating and dissolving the encroaching power of Reincarnation.

But that power was simply too majestic; every fraction dissolved required consuming several times more mental effort.

In fact, if Lu Ming went all out and directly employed the Hunyuan Law, dealing with the Law of Reincarnation would not be this troublesome at all.

However, since he was currently playing the role of True Lord Qingxu, it was naturally impossible for him to do things that far exceeded his own strength.

"Fellow Daoist, help me!"

At this moment, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei shouted loudly, gathering thunder light in his palm to transform into a Heavenly Punishment Lightning Spear, fiercely hurling it towards Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's core location.

Lu Ming struck at the same time, pushing his hands forward, and another "Yin-Yang Annihilation Divine Light" shot forth. Together with the lightning spear, one on the left and one on the right, one high and one low, they formed a two-sided pincer movement.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord snorted coldly, waving one hand, and two dim-yellow Reincarnation walls suddenly rose within the Netherworld illusion, blocking both offensives simultaneously.

The thunder light and the Yin-Yang divine light exploded into fragments all over the sky on the walls, but ultimately failed to break through that defense line constructed by the complete Law of Reincarnation.

However, even though the two joined forces, they could still only barely maintain the situation.

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's Law of Reincarnation operated to the extreme, and that Netherworld illusion was like an eternally spinning millstone, constantly consuming every fraction of power released by the two.

True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei's Heavenly Punishment power grew increasingly dim under the erosion of the Reincarnation power, and Lu Ming's Yin-Yang barrier was also constantly being compressed and narrowed.

The two were like being trapped in a giant palm that was closing tighter and tighter; although they were still resisting with all their might, they were gradually showing signs of feeling overmatched.

A cold sneer slowly curled up the corner of Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's mouth.

The gap between a Nascent Soul Early Stage and a Nascent Soul Late Stage could after all not be made up by the cleverness of two or three Divine Abilities.

True Lord Qingxu's strip of Yin-Yang divine light did indeed exceed his expectations, but that was only the might of a single strike; if they were to continuously confront each other, the short board of this person's insufficient Foundation would be thoroughly exposed.

"Today, neither of you two can even think about leaving!"

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's voice came as if from the depths of the Netherworld, cold and indifferent.

However, just at this moment, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, who was about to add another fire and make a quick resolution, suddenly felt a slight chill down his spine.

That was not from a Life and Death crisis, but a heavy sense of being watched.

Several gazes as deep as abysses had silently and imperceptibly fallen into this battlefield at some unknown time.

This instantly made Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's heart tighten.

He could sense that this time it was no longer ordinary Divine Sense probing, but the true bodies of Nascent Soul True Monarchs had descended into the nearby Void Realm.

They did not manifest or make a move, merely casting indifferent gazes, surveying the few people present.

To be more precise, they were looking at him!

Clearly, the unusual action of three True Monarchs fighting consecutively had already drawn the attention of several True Monarchs from other Grotto-Heavens.

This was also the first time in tens of thousands of years that all True Monarchs gathered, and they even descended with their true bodies!

Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's expression was uncertain, but the movements in his hands finally slowed down and stopped.

However, although he did not continue to drive the Reincarnation power to suppress the two, that Netherworld illusion did not dissipate.

The dim-yellow Reincarnation light enveloped True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei and Lu Ming within it like an invisible cage.

Clearly, as a deeply calculating person, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had already sniffed the atmosphere of an impending storm.

His gaze calmly swept across those figures in the Void Realm, finally fixing on an old man dressed in a mysterious-yellow ancient Daoist robe.

The old man had a lean face, grey hair and beard, and his figure was not tall, yet he stood across heaven and earth like an immemorial unmoving mountain.

The aura on his body was also like an ancient divine mountain, deep, heavy, and unshakable, carrying a unique sense of oppression belonging to those who had been in high positions for a long time.

It was none other than True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi!

Among the Seven Great Grotto-Heavens, he was universally recognized as the person with the highest cultivation and combat power when the Dao Venerable of Spirit Transformation did not appear.

From the moment he appeared, Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had already felt True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi's gaze nailed tightly onto his body like iron nails.

Carrying an undisguised scrutiny and vigilance.

There was no need to think to know why.

Leaving aside that True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei and True Lord Qingxu belonged to the Righteous Path faction,

if he continued to deal lethal blows to True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei and the others in front of this person, it would inevitably force this strongest Cultivator of the Xuanxiao Realm to step in and intervene on the spot.

By then, the situation would no longer be something he could control.

And most crucially, it was the Law of Reincarnation!

Although the Taixuan Immortal Sect was named a Sect, it was actually more like a massive Family bound by Bloodline.

Most of the Disciples in the Sect were descendants of the same Sect and Origin, huddling together for warmth with extremely strong cohesion.

This also made True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi care far more about the younger generation of the Sect than other True Monarchs did.

And the Law of Reincarnation happened to be the thing he was most uneasy about and most vigilant against.

If the Dao of Reincarnation was controlled by others, the Life and Death Reincarnation of countless younger generations up and down the Taixuan Immortal Sect would be equivalent to being held in someone else's hands.

If Soul-Devouring Demon Lord wanted to tamper with it, it would be as easy as turning over his hand.

Therefore, from the moment Soul-Devouring Demon Lord revealed the Law of Reincarnation, he knew trouble had arrived!

Therefore, although Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was calculating rapidly in his heart, he did not release his action trapping the two.

Holding two bargaining chips in his hands, advancing to attack and retreating to defend was better than fighting bare-handed against so many True Monarchs.

At this moment, in the Void Realm, True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi slowly stepped forward.

His gaze was as calm as water, falling on Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, and his tone was extremely indifferent.

"Qin Guan, speak. What on earth is going on with the Law of Reincarnation?"

This sentence was not loud, but it made Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's expression become extremely ugly.

As expected, the old fellow who cared most about the Law of Reincarnation was this one.

True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi's descendants and Disciples were spread all over the Taixuan Immortal Sect, and matters of Reincarnation affected his entire Bloodline chain; it was hard for him not to be nervous.

But Soul-Devouring Demon Lord of course could not tell the truth; he still couldn't figure out the attitudes of the other True Monarchs right now.

Therefore, after thinking over and over, he intended to play it safe and prepared to find an excuse to muddle through.

Thus his expression quickly returned to calmness, and he said with a displeased look,

"Fellow Daoist is mistaken. Regarding the matter of the Daoist path, everyone has their own affinity and fate; how can it be casually told to others?

Inquiring about the secrets of someone else's Daoist path, Fellow Daoist, you have probably crossed the line."