Venerable Buddha struck, and the heavens answered.
A vision spread across the sky—
Visible for thousands of miles.
The land, once buzzing with cultivators drawn by the ancient ruins, fell into silence.
Then—
Chaos.
The moment the celestial spectacle unfolded, all eyes turned upward.
"This… this power…!" A Pathseeker realm cultivator gasped in horror.
"Impossible!"
"A Eminence…!"
"No… this aura… could it be someone from Mount Xumi?"
A murmur of unease spread through the crowd.
"The Buddhist monks… Are they claiming the ruins for themselves?"
"Speculation means nothing! We'll see for ourselves soon enough!"
Drawn by the overwhelming power, the cultivators surged forward, rushing toward the valley.
Meanwhile—
Space tore apart.
From within the rift, two colossal figures emerged—
The Demon Ape and Hu Kuang.
Their bodies bore deep wounds, crimson staining their fur.
The scars of their battle through the void.
"Damn it!" Hu Kuang roared the moment he saw the sea of flames engulfing the sky.
The Demon Ape exhaled deeply, pushing down his rage.
"This is no time for hesitation," he said gravely.
Hu Kuang clenched his fists but nodded.
Then—without a moment's pause—
The two vanished into the space crack.
From beginning to end, they never once questioned—
Never once hesitated—
Because the Monster Royal Clan did not know fear.
The heavens rumbled.
The earth shattered.
As the flaming palm descended, the land below fractured, deep crevices splitting open as if the world itself were being torn apart.
Dark fissures stretched across both sky and land, like abyssal mouths seeking to devour all in their path.
The High Priest took a deep breath.
Then—
The phantom behind him erupted with radiance.
A blade—
Forged from countless layers of space, sharp beyond comprehension, materialized in his grasp.
With one swing—
The world itself split apart.
From afar, it was as if existence itself had been severed in two.
BOOM!
The moment the blade clashed with the Flaming Palm,
The world fell into silence.
For that brief instant—
Nothing existed beyond that single point of impact.
And then—
Reality collapsed.
The battlefield's center turned into a gaping void—
A pitch-black abyss where space had been obliterated.
Through the darkness, eerie, shifting anomalies flickered—
A realm beyond mortal comprehension.
The two forces clashed, locked in a deadly stalemate.
Neither advancing, neither yielding.
Venerable Buddha's eyes narrowed as he whispered, almost amused,
"You think you can hold me back?"
As if in response to his words—
CRACK!
A single, sharp sound.
Then—
The space blade shattered.
Fragments of dimensional essence scattered into the air, floating aimlessly like shards of a broken dream.
The High Priest staggered.
Then—
Cough!
Blood spilled from his lips, his aura instantly turning chaotic.
And the Brahma Seal—
Did not stop.
The Flaming Palm pressed downward, bearing the weight of the heavens.
The High Priest could no longer move.
His power had already spiraled out of control.
But before the final blow could land—
A furious roar erupted from the Monster Royal Clan.
They would not watch their priest fall.
Dozens of powerful beasts launched their attacks, their combined spiritual energy surging toward the descending flames.
Yet—
Useless.
None of their attacks could even slow its descent.
The difference in power was simply too vast.
"Sister… are we going to die?"
Yao Ziyue's voice was small, almost a whisper.
Her fingers clenched tightly around Yao Ziyan's robes.
Her pale face reflected the approaching inferno.
Yao Ziyan remained silent.
But in her eyes—
Unwillingness.
Was this it?
Was it… over?
The Brahma Seal was now less than a hundred meters away.
The valley boiled under its heat.
The sheer temperature distorted the air, warping vision, twisting reality.
Then—
A flicker.
Yao Ziyan's breath hitched.
She saw it—
A ripple in space.
A fluctuation just ahead.
Then—
A radiant light—
And from it—
A familiar figure stepped forward.