579: Chapter 580 A Righteous Gang Fight

Lu Ming maintained a calm demeanor as his eyes swept placidly across the assembled True Lords, before finally resting on True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi, bowing with hands cupped.

"Fellow Daoist Taixuan, what happened regarding Chiyan was indeed dishonorable, but right now, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's Dao of Reincarnation is the true threat standing right before us."

Saying this, he looked around at the surroundings again, his tone solemn.

"Once he monopolizes the Grand Dao of Reincarnation, everyone seated here—including the entirety of the Taixuan Immortal Sect—will have to live at his mercy for their future life, death, and Reincarnation.

Which is more important? Surely, everyone has weighed this in their hearts."

Finally, his gaze turned back to True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi. This time, he did not speak aloud, instead sending a Divine Sense voice transmission.

"Besides, in the end, Fellow Daoist Chiyan's affair is merely a private matter within the Righteous Path; we shouldn't let outsiders stand by and make a mockery of us.

Could Fellow Daoist Taixuan step in to mediate and first stabilize the current situation?

As for the grudge between Fellow Daoist Chiyan and Fellow Daoist Yuji, it won't be too late to handle it privately after this matter is resolved."

True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi pondered for a moment, finding sense in these words.

The main trouble right now was still the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord; as long as this hidden threat wasn't eliminated, it would give him no peace day or night.

Moreover, the enemy pulling a stunt like this was precisely to sow internal discord among them—a blatant scheme to divide them. They couldn't play right into his hands.

Ultimately, True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi slowly nodded, agreeing with Lu Ming's perspective.

"What Fellow Daoist Qingxu says is not without merit."

Thus, True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi locked his gaze back onto the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, his tone infused with unquestionable resolve.

"Qin Guan, today's matter is not over yet. As for the Land of Reincarnation, you cannot go there, let alone lay your hands on it!"

Saying that, he paused, glancing slightly sideways at True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei.

"As for the matter between the two of you, settle it amongst yourselves afterward; this old man will not intervene."

True Monarch Yuji Sitian harbored some dissatisfaction with this decision, but constrained by True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi's deterrence, he did not refute it in public, remaining silent.

Conversely, True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei secretly let out a sigh of relief.

As long as he wasn't called out publicly, there was still room to maneuver.

However, his final gaze still carried a hint of resentment as he glanced at Lu Ming, though in the end, he said nothing more.

Although True Lord Qingxu had set him up in this matter, it had ultimately bought him a breathing window.

In stark contrast to their reactions was the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord.

The moment Lu Ming spoke, he knew things were going south.

It was already too late to stop him; he could only watch helplessly as the alliance—which had been on the verge of collapsing—was stabilized once more by just a few words from True Lord Qingxu.

Consequently, as he looked at Lu Ming, intense murderous intent churned ever stronger in his eyes.

It was this True Lord Qingxu ruining his plans time after time again!

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's face turned incomparably gloomy.

Yet having lived for tens of thousands of years, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord adjusted his mindset quickly.

Besides, now that things had come to this, hiding was useless; it was better to lay all cards on the table.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping across each of the True Lords' faces, his tone chillingly cold.

"Are you all truly determined to make things difficult for me?"

Hearing this, the True Lords said nothing, but their gazes were solemn and firm as iron; their meaning was already abundantly clear.

Though he had expected this reaction, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's expression darkened even further.

Still, he wanted to make one last attempt. After all, while confident in his great strength, he did not wish to face a siege by multiple Nascent Soul True Monarchs all at once.

Furthermore, if a fight really broke out, True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi alone would be enough to give him a massive headache.

Thus, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord spoke in an earnest, grave tone.

"Consider this, everyone: a battle between True Monarchs spreads far and wide with devastating consequences—you should know better than I that the Heavenly Dao will likely not sit by and watch.

Moreover, once we go all out, depletion of Nascent Soul Origin will be unavoidable. Everyone's dao attainment was earned through laborious cultivation; surely it shouldn't be squandered here in vain."

"Qin Guan, say no more."

Seeing the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord still engaging in sophistry, True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi interrupted him directly, his voice indifferent yet indisputable.

"The Grand Dao of Reincarnation cannot be controlled by any single individual. On this matter, there is no room for negotiation."

The other True Lords did not speak, but their eyes clearly revealed agreement.

Although Demon Monarch Liuyu Tian and Demon Lord Hunyuan had their own calculations, they reached a rare consensus on this point.

After all, once the Grand Dao of Reincarnation was monopolized by the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord, they too would be subject to his control in the future—something that could never be allowed to happen.

Seeing that reasoning was futile, the last glimmer of luck in the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's eyes died out.

Demanding that he relinquish the Grand Dao of Reincarnation was no different from forcing him to switch his dao path and abandon the fruits of tens of thousands of years of cultivation—it was completely unrealistic.

He believed the others understood this full well, yet they still insisted. Their motives were truly damnable!

In an instant, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's gaze turned icy cold, and a decision formed in his heart.

Since words were useless, he might as well flip the table directly.

But the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was no brute; he knew full well that two fists couldn't match four hands.

Thus, this time he went all out right away.

Without another word of nonsense, he abruptly raised his hand, and an ancient mirror suddenly materialized in his palm.

The ancient mirror was pitch-black like ink all over, its edges carved with countless complex runes, each pattern resembling a miniature long river of Reincarnation.

On the mirror's surface, a dusky yellow light of Reincarnation flowed, reflecting images of tens of thousands of living beings cycling through Life and Death.

It was as though the Reincarnation Karma of the entire Xuanxiao Realm were condensed within this small mirror.

This was the reincarnation treasure mirror.

It was a Nascent Soul Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had refined for countless years.

Its grade even faintly touched the threshold of a Fifth-Order Soul Transformation Dao Treasure.

Concentrating the authority of the Grand Dao of Reincarnation in a single artifact, its powers were terrifying to the extreme.

Wherever the mirror's light shone, all things entered Reincarnation.

If a Cultivator was enveloped by the mirror light, their cultivation would be forcibly knocked down and stripped away, shaved off layer by layer as if undergoing thousands of Reincarnations.

If a Magic Treasure was illuminated by the mirror light, its spirituality would gradually decay and annihilate, as if eroded by countless years of time.

Even Laws themselves would grow dim and obscured under the mirror light, as if dragged into an eternal cycle of Life and Death, endlessly generating and perishing without pause.

Even more terrifyingly, the reincarnation treasure mirror could sever the Karmic ties between a Cultivator and their dao path in the unseen Realm.

This would shake their dao foundation and destabilize their Realm, as if they were being forcibly shoved off the Grand Dao into an abyss.

The moment this treasure appeared, the entire Void Realm quivered slightly, as if heaven and earth themselves feared the power contained within this ancient mirror.

Holding the reincarnation treasure mirror in his palm, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's aura surged violently.

No longer holding back, he abruptly flipped the mirror, pouring out the dusky yellow Reincarnation light like a tidal wave toward the assembled True Lords!

"Fellow Daoists, accept this!!"

Lu Ming bore the brunt of it, the divine light descending directly over his head.

It was clear that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord hated him to the bone and intended to make him his first target.

Faced with this, Lu Ming did not panic in the slightest, calmly forming hand seals with both hands.

In an instant, the two Qis of Yin and Yang coiled like swimming Dragons, forming a light barrier woven from clear and turbid Qi in front of him, constantly resolving and blocking the eroding power of Reincarnation.

At the same time, how could the other True Lords just stand by and watch?

Violet-azure lightning exploded around True Monarch Chiyan Yinglei, sending billions of thunderbolts crashing toward the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord like furious Dragons.

True Monarch Yuji Sitian maintained his lofty stance, standing in the Void Realm with an indifferent expression.

Facing the cascading divine light of Reincarnation, he merely uttered a single word softly.

"Halt."

The power of Decree of the Law surged forth, and under the operation of the Dao of Order, that churning Reincarnation light actually froze for half a breath in that instant.

Like a rushing river blocked by an invisible sluice gate, it actually froze mid-air in the Void Realm.

While the True Lords here displayed their grand Divine Abilities, the Demonic Path side was not about to fall behind.

Demon Monarch Liuyu Tian let out a light laugh. As his crimson robes fluttered, the hazy aura of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires wound toward the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord like invisible threads.

Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, desire.

Every emotion formed a chain, attempting to entangle the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's mind and disrupt his intent to activate the reincarnation treasure mirror.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's face remained unchanged, yet he was forced to divert part of his energy to resist that pervasive emotional erosion.

Meanwhile, Demon Lord Hunyuan employed a different method.

He was surrounded by a chaotic, filthy, eerily distorted aura, resembling a walking abyss.

Wherever that aura passed, the Void Realm began to mutate, warp, and even deform as if corroded; even the Laws themselves were rendered unrecognizable under this power of "Defilement."

What he comprehended was the Law of Defilement, whose essence could distort all tangible and intangible things, plunging order into Chaos and forcing Laws into aberration.

Yet among them all, the one who could handle this strike with ease was none other than True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi.

Facing the surging Reincarnation mirror light, he neither dodged nor evaded.

He merely raised his hand slowly, spreading his five fingers slightly.

A profoundly subtle aura radiated from his palm, like that very first spark of "Taichu" before heaven and earth opened—ethereal and vast.

When the Reincarnation mirror light touched that aura, it dissolved silently like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

That was the Dao of the Innate Five Primordials comprehended by True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi.

Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and Taiji—these five were the Origin powers of Chaos before heaven and earth divided.

This dao was the most mysterious and unpredictable; seemingly ethereal, it actually contained the fundamental root of all things' creation and destruction.

Though the Law of Reincarnation was powerful, it ultimately could not escape the Realm of "being originating from non-being," remaining half a step behind in terms of Origin when faced with the Innate Five Primordials.

Lu Ming watched this scene from afar, his pupils abruptly shrinking.

Among these several Grotto-Heaven True Lords, the one he feared most was precisely True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi.

He had only ever heard legends about him, but had never seen him make a real move, knowing nothing of his methods.

Seeing it now sent a chill through Lu Ming's heart.

Though the "Innate Five Primordials" differed from his own Hunyuan Law, they reached the same goal through different means at their root.

He was actually taking the path of All Laws of Hunyuan as well!

The only difference lay in Lu Ming possessing the karma golden book, allowing him to ignore the backlash caused by Laws and forcibly accommodate all things.

True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi could not achieve this step, yet he had blazed a new trail, utilizing the single Primordial Qi of the Innate Five Primordials and the power of creation and destruction to derive a trace of the profound mystery of the Grand Dao of Hunyuan!

This... someone actually achieved this level purely through innate talent! It was simply incredible!

However, though shocked in his heart, Lu Ming found it understandable.

Since the path of Hunyuan was so powerful, if he could scheme for it, there was no reason other True Lords wouldn't think of it as well.

It was merely that, restricted by their own conditions and innate talent, they were unable to take that step, forced instead to make trade-offs and select a single Law to perfect their dao path.

Therefore, upon seeing True Monarch Taixuan Huangshi's Dao of the Innate Five Primordials, Lu Ming actually felt a sense that he was not alone on his path.

But that was all; at the same time, he raised his vigilance to the absolute highest level.

In the struggle for the Grand Dao, there was no coexistence, only a sole victor.

Don't be fooled by this old man's immortal demeanour, kindly features, and easygoing appearance.

But once it involved his own dao path, it would be a life-or-death battle.

Thus, Lu Ming dared not gamble on whether the other's Heart-Nature was generous.

If the old man knew he also walked the path of Hunyuan, he would most likely swat him to death while he had yet to grow, nipping him in the bud.

Fortunately, he had the karma golden book as a cover, and his Hunyuan path had already shown initial results; the Dao of Yin and Yang he derived could pass off as genuine.

As long as he didn't go all out, the other party wouldn't notice any clues at all.

At the same time, he felt deeply relieved—thankfully he had schemed against the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord today, forcing the True Lords to strike together and probing out some of his background.

Otherwise, if he had rashly revealed his Hunyuan Dao, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable.

Thoughts raced through Lu Ming's mind, but the situation on the battlefield was critical and left no time to spare.

The six True Lords each displayed their Divine Abilities, resembling six distinct torrents crashing simultaneously against the defensive line constructed by the reincarnation treasure mirror.

Although everyone was secretly wary and no one used their trump cards right off the bat, even so, the sheer force of their combined might was terrifying, like a collapsing mountain or a roaring tsunami.

Holding the reincarnation treasure mirror, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord blocked their attacks again and again as the mirror light churned like a tide.

Yet the combined force of six True Lords was no small matter. Every clash forced him back hundreds of feet, shattering the Void Realm behind him inch by inch, until even the light of the reincarnation treasure mirror in his hands began to dim.

In just a short moment, his aura began to show clear signs of disorder, and his responses grew increasingly disheveled.

"This won't do."

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord grit his teeth and thought privately, knowing that relying on his own strength alone to contend against six True Lords was simply unrealistic.

"It seems I can only do that..."

With this thought, a decision was made in the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's heart, a flash of crazy resolve flickering across his eyes.

Immediately, he abruptly raised the reincarnation treasure mirror high above his head, causing the pitch-black ancient mirror to rotate slowly in the Void Realm.

On the mirror's surface, the dusky yellow light of Reincarnation churned ceaselessly like a tide.

With a solemn expression, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord chanted an incantation softly, his voice hoarse and obscure, sounding like a whisper from the depths of the Nine Nether underworld.

"Decree of Youdu, Edict of Reincarnation! Let all spirits return to their places, summoned by Karma—all return to my body! Come!!"

The moment the incantation fell, the entire Void Realm trembled slightly.

Immediately afterward, an exceedingly eerie change began to occur simultaneously across various parts of the Xuanxiao Realm.