362: Chapter 353 The Sixth Incarnation: Heavenly Venerable (Forty-One)

The moment the cauldron was formed, the projections of All Venerables' wills converged here once more. Countless vast wills were cast upon this giant cauldron, which radiated an aura that made even them feel a faint sense of trepidation.

Coldness, scrutiny, satisfaction, killing intent, anticipation... all sorts of complex emotions intertwined.

"Good."

The phantom of the giant coffin representing "the end" sent the first thought; amidst the deathly stillness, there was a hint of sternness that everything was ready.

"Now that the cauldron is complete, the 'hunt' may begin."

"With the power of this cauldron to deceive the heavenly secrets, confuse Karma, and isolate the myriad Daos, it should be possible to capture and kill Dao Lords and strip away their Dao Fruits silently, without any risk of leakage."

The will of "Time" flowed, conducting the final deductive confirmation.

"In the first battle, we must establish our prestige; it also needs to be settled quickly."

"The target must be carefully selected."

"Let us begin with... those Dao Lords whose Foundations are shallow, who are on the brink of dao transformation, and who have few ties to the outside world."

The cornerstone of "Space" sent a heavy thought, accompanied by several precise space-time coordinates and target information.

"I have already locked onto several suitable 'hunting grounds'."

"Good."

The various ancient Dao Lords naturally had no objections upon hearing this. After all, although the Heavenly Dao treasure was now complete, it was always right to be cautious.

"Then, let us begin."

Dao Lord Shang Qing's projection spoke calmly, the seven-colored Dao Rhyme behind him faintly resonating with the "heaven refining cauldron."

"Let us use this 'cauldron,' forged over a hundred years, to carry out this great undertaking of cleansing the universe and re-establishing the world!"

Once the decision was made, there was no more hesitation.

The heavy Dao Rhyme of the "Space" cornerstone flowed slightly, and the spatial coordinates of various Dao Realms were all manifested!

Soon, the Ancient Lords selected their first target.

Dao Lord Xu Wang.

He wielded the Great Dao of "Delusion." His existence could be called ancient, and he had once dominated for a time with the Dao of "the Mutual Generation of Reality and Illusion" and "Difficulty in Distinguishing Truth from Fantasy."

However, his Dao was inherently prone to falling into "Emptiness and Illusion." After being worn down by endless eons, he was now on the brink of dao transformation. To delay his consciousness from completely sinking into the concept of "Delusion," he had long ago sealed his Dao Realm, "Heaven of Delusory Thoughts," falling into the deepest silence to linger on, with his ties of Karma to the outside world nearly severed.

"On the brink of dao transformation, sealed in silence... very good."

The giant coffin representing "the end" sent a cold thought.

"With dao transformation imminent, the connection between his Dao and the Heavenly Dao Origin has spontaneously loosened and detached. Stripping the Dao Fruit will be easier and less likely to trigger a violent backlash from the Great Dao."

"Let us use 'Delusion' to sacrifice to the flag for this 'cleansing'."

"heaven refining cauldron, rise."

Guided by the Dao Lord of "Space" and resonating with the wills of the other Ancient Lords—

"Buzz—!!!"

The ten-colored dao patterns on the body of the "heaven refining cauldron" suddenly blazed bright!

The Chaos mist at the mouth of the cauldron rolled violently, and the Void Realm beneath the cauldron silently split open again into three deep dimensional rifts!

This time, the other end of the rift directly anchored to the outer layer of the "Heaven of Delusory Thoughts" Dao Realm—which was heavily self-sealed and hidden deep within the folds of space-time!

Silent and soundless, without a ripple.

The power of the "heaven refining cauldron," with its properties of deceiving heavenly secrets, confusing Karma, and isolating the myriad Daos, acted like the most skilled assassin. Without any warning, it penetrated the layers of "Alternating Reality and Illusion" Seals set by Dao Lord Xu Wang—Seals that would have left ordinary Dao Lords helpless—and descended directly above the "Sea of Delusory Thoughts" at the very core of the "Heaven of Delusory Thoughts," where Reality and illusion intertwined and truth and fantasy were uncertain!

With the cauldron's mouth facing downward, the ten-colored Chaos dao patterns spread like living things, instantly unfolding an absolute Domain that enveloped the entire "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts"!

Within the Domain, all changes of "Delusion" and the flow of truth and fantasy were completely solidified and frozen!

The restless and assimilating power belonging to the Origin of the Great Dao of "Delusion," which had been constantly eroding Dao Lord Xu Wang's consciousness, was also forcibly suppressed and isolated by this Domain!

"Who?!"

A thought mixed with endless fatigue, shock, fury, and a hint of relief-like madness exploded from the deepest part of the "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts"!

It was Dao Lord Xu Wang, forcibly startled awake from the silence he used to delay his dao transformation!

He "saw" that giant cauldron emitting an aura that made even his Soul freeze!

"heaven refining cauldron—Suppress!"

The cold command came through the cauldron's body, not from one, but from the combined resonance of several Ancient Lords' wills!

"Boom—!!!"

The phantom of the giant cauldron shone with great brilliance. On the cauldron's body, dao patterns representing "Reality," "existence," "Destruction," "Order," and others suddenly lit up!

A supreme power that shattered illusions, anchored Reality, and dismantled the structure of Delusion descended like the collapsing heavens, ruthlessly suppressing the "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts" below!

"How dare you?!"

Dao Lord Xu Wang's mental roar was like the howl of a dying beast, whipping up a final storm in the "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts"!

He instantly understood—this was no visit from a fellow Daoist, but an attack from external enemies carrying supreme killing intent!

Their target was none other than himself!

"heaven refining cauldron—Suppress!"

That cold command and the suppressive power erupting from the cauldron—which blended multiple counteracting Dao Rhymes like "Reality," "existence," "Destruction," and "Order"—made Dao Lord Xu Wang's mind tremble violently. A long-lost chill, one even more terrifying than dao transformation, rose from the depths of his Soul!

He "saw" clearly the dao patterns flowing on the cauldron; they were root auras that lived as long as heaven and earth, transcending the myriad Daos!

It wasn't just one, but the combined resonance of several Ancient Lords' wills!

"It's you?! The most ancient... Why?!"

Shock, bewilderment, resentment, and an extreme humiliation of being treated as "prey" by higher-level existences instantly overwhelmed him.

But these emotions were immediately crushed by the instinct for survival and the final dignity of a Dao Lord!

"Delusory Thoughts become Reality, all forms shall be slain!"

Dao Lord Xu Wang let out a resolute shriek. No longer caring about the acceleration of his dao transformation, he frantically burned his few remaining bits of humanity, forcibly invoking the crumbling Great Dao of "Delusion" to launch a final counterattack within the absolute Domain of the "heaven refining cauldron"!

The entire "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts" boiled, twisted, and surged backward!

Infinite illusions turned into real killing tribulations—his "Delusory Dharma Body" from his most glorious period reappeared, the "Heart Demon Tribulation Sword" he once used to slay powerful enemies condensed, and "Eternal Dreams" and "Absolute Nightmares" that could induce a Dao Lord's downfall intertwined...

He even tried to use the Dao of "Delusion" to simulate and distort the suppressive Dao Rhyme descending from the "heaven refining cauldron," creating a brief illusion of "failure" in search of a slim chance of survival!

However—

It was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage, or an ant trying to shake a giant tree!

"Boom boom boom boom—!!!"

The ten-colored Chaos dao patterns descending from the "heaven refining cauldron" were like the insurmountable iron laws of the Heavenly Dao. Carrying the supreme power bolstered by the combined efforts of multiple Ancient Lords, they ruthlessly crushed all "Delusion" killing tribulations without any hindrance!

The illusory Dharma Body collapsed, the Heart Demon Tribulation Sword snapped, the dreams and nightmares shattered like bubbles, and the power of "Delusion" that tried to distort the suppressive Dao Rhyme was even more like an egg hitting a stone, being instantly anchored, purified, and backlashed by the "Reality" and "Order" dao patterns!

"Pfft—!"

Dao Lord Xu Wang felt as if he had been struck by a ten-thousand-ton weight. His Dao body trembled violently, and his illusory, unstable form instantly dimmed significantly.

All his struggles, in the face of the "heaven refining cauldron" and the wills of several Ancient Lords, were like child's play; he couldn't even delay the descent of the cauldron for a single moment!

"No—!!!"

The desperate roar stopped abruptly.

"Collect."

The cold command was like the final judgment.

The suction of the Chaos vortex at the mouth of the "heaven refining cauldron" surged, turning into a black hole that swallowed heaven and earth!

Dao Lord Xu Wang, along with the "Source Sea of Delusory Thoughts" he resided in, were like a sandcastle in a gale or a fallen leaf in a whirlpool. Without any power to resist, they were uprooted, torn away, and stripped, turning into a streak of twisted light that instantly vanished into the bottomless mouth of the cauldron!

Outside the "Heaven of Delusory Thoughts" Dao Realm, there were no ripples, and the Seals remained as they were.

Inside the cauldron, however, was a different scene.

"Refine!"