Bai Qicang did not explain in detail, he merely pointed out one thing clearly, "Now that Heaven and Earth are ascending, True Immortals lead the world, and they will influence the situation according to their will. If one does not wish to become a pawn, then one must become a True Immortal to control one's destiny. However, the path to enlightenment is arduous; not everyone has the qualifications or opportunity to become immortal…"
Bai Qicang's speech was not finished, but the Second Generation Celestial Master had already realized that just like the supreme strong of the past, without support, even those with power might find it difficult to ascend.
If Dragon Tiger Mountain chooses isolation for self-protection, then in the future conflicts between various parties, even with an ancestral Celestial Master, a True Immortal, presiding, they might not be able to seize the opportunity to ascend and become immortal.
"It seems that we have not much choice this time," the Second Generation Celestial Master said with a bitter smile.
The world is changing too quickly, and even as supreme strong, one cannot dominate one's fate but must follow the grand trend of Heaven and Earth.
"Well then, since that's the case, I, as your junior brother, will go tell them that we can agree to their request for assistance."
…
This scene was not unique to Dragon Tiger Mountain. When several members of the Shenxiao Sect arrived to invite help, almost all those invited agreed, just like Xuan Du Guan, an immortal sect with few followers, sent out two of their supreme strong.
Of course, there were refusals too, like the Taisu Sect, which was both a Taoist school and belonged to the Divine Tao. Although aware of the patterns of Heaven and Earth, they were not so enthusiastic about allying with the Taoist Schools, clearly having their own plans.
However, regardless, Pang Hong's goal was achieved this time. He invited two supreme strong from Xuan Du Guan and three from Dragon Tiger Mountain, counting himself and Deer Elder, along with Zhu Houji, Wang Boan, Wu Shijiu, and three supreme strong from the Witch Deity Teaching. This totaled thirteen supreme strong individuals.
The Ji Fang Alliances, including Blood Spirit Taoist, only had about fifteen or sixteen supreme strong, so the gap between the two sides was not big anymore, fairly matched.
"If the Taoist Friend is willing to retreat today, then we can let bygones be bygones as if none of this ever happened, how about that?" Pang Hong suggested to the Blood Spirit Taoist in front of him.
He had a smile on his face, and even though he was in the Eight-Layer Spirit Realm, he had an attitude of equality, neither servile nor overbearing.
Although he was speaking to Blood Spirit Taoist, his gaze was also directed at many other powerhouses around him.
Even though Pang Hong, the Junior Leader of the Shenxiao Sect and Little Thunder King, was only in the Eight-Layer Spirit Realm, not even the supreme strong like Blood Spirit Taoist found anything amiss.
Beyond Pang Hong's identity, it was also because of his power. Over the past hundred years, Pang Hong had made a notable name for himself, and when he had just reached the Eight-Layer Spirit Realm, he had already come Hand in Hand with a Spiritual Realm Level Nine Strongest.
Although he had not been able to continue Pei Xuanjing's legend by suppressing that Spiritual Realm Level Nine Strongest, the eventual outcome of being evenly matched had shocked countless people and made it clear that the direct disciple of Shenxiao True Monarch was formidable.
Now, after several decades, nobody knew the extent of his power, and as a disciple of a True Immortal and Junior Leader of Shenxiao Sect, no one would believe that he did not have some trump cards given by Shenxiao True Monarch.
"Isn't the Junior Leader being a bit too overbearing?" Blood Spirit Taoist said with an unchanged expression.
As someone who had roamed Heaven and Earth for thousands of years, although he had not ascended to True Immortal status, he was still a powerhouse of the same era as those True Immortals. Truly speaking, even Shenxiao True Monarch would have to be considered his junior.
So, even though he was somewhat apprehensive of the other party, seeing such an attitude and tone from a junior made it hard for Blood Spirit Taoist not to feel a hint of anger.
"Divine treasures of Heaven and Earth go to those destined for them. The Emperor, as the Lord of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and now the inheritor of the Ancient Human Race Common Master's Cave Heaven, is naturally entitled to it. Taoist Friend has been persistently entangling the matter, isn't it you who are blaming me to be overbearing?" Pang Hong continued with a smile, retorting.
"Heh, such arrogance from a mere junior, relying on Shenxiao True Monarch, is this how you behave so presumptuously?" Blood Spirit Taoist said with an angry sneer, sharply reprimanding.
As a tycoon of the Demonic Way, he naturally had a contrary disposition, fickle in his emotions. He had managed to suppress his anger and speak with Pang Hong, but it did not last long, especially facing such an attitude from the junior.
Hearing those words, the smile on Pang Hong's face faded gradually, his expression turning grim, "Blood Spirit old demon, do you really think I've been giving you face?" Pang Hong retorted angrily.
Don't think Pang Hong's amiable tone meant he was weak or could be bullied; competent in managing the Shenxiao Sect systematically, he was definitely not a pushover.
Seeing Blood Spirit Taoist lose his temper, Pang Hong naturally would not indulge him. He had initially spoken kindly to him, but now it seemed that the other party did not recognize the good intentions and truly deserved to die.
"Audacious youth!" Blood Spirit Taoist's anger burst forth.
With that said, any notion of ending things amicably was gone; without any hesitation, Blood Spirit Taoist launched an attack.
Boom!
Blood Spirit Taoist struck ruthlessly, instantly shaking Space, causing Yin and Yang to invert, the air filled with a bloody tint, and various divine powers and skills bombarding down towards Pang Hong.
Pang Hong, of course, would not simply watch; Primordial Qi flowed, Thunderbolt converged in his palms, he pushed out with both hands, purple Thunder Dragons roared, a whole sky of thunderbolts being drawn down and spreading out.
As these two began their fight, the other strong figures around them also took action immediately, Bai Qicang, a powerhouse from Dragon Tiger Mountain, faced two supreme strong alone, casting the Five Thunder Righteous Law with one hand, which was no less powerful than Pang Hong's Shenxiao Thunder Method.
"Make your move!" Zhu Houji and Wu Shijiu exchanged a glance and decisively took action.
Possessing the authority of Refining the Spirit Realm Cave Sky, Zhu Houji also took this opportunity to step into the Ninefold Spiritual Realm of the Strongest, and he was keen to find an opponent to gauge which tier his power level fell into.
More than twenty, nearly thirty, Supreme Strong clashed, a scene rarely seen between Heaven and Earth, one that even eclipsed the time when many True Immortals ascended and the Demon Race sent powerhouses to thwart their Way of Enlightenment.
Even though these Supreme Strong were initially probing and not fighting to the death as they had in the past, their strikes still stirred up tremendous waves.
Nearly thirty Supreme Strong made their move, showcasing their divine abilities and skills, causing the void to tremble.
Had the Daming World not ascended, this clash of the Supreme Strong might have been too much for the original Heaven and Earth to withstand.
Nevertheless, the dazzling display of divine abilities, the shimmering of Magic Swords, Divine Weapons, and Magical Treasures during their powerful impacts shattered countless spaces.
Numerous powerhouses, hearing the news, came to observe from a distance, watching from afar, not daring to get involved for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
"Blood Spirit Taoist is really arrogant, eh? He's actually taken on someone from the Shenxiao Sect?" A Strong Independent Practitioner's eyes sparkled with excitement, deeply shocked.
As Strong Independent Practitioners, they too had conflicts during the struggle for the Spirit Realm Cave Sky, and they were no strangers to the Blood Spirit Taoist's dominance.
But he had never imagined that the Blood Spirit Taoist would be so bold as to clash over the possession of a Spirit Realm Cave Sky with someone from the Shenxiao Sect.
They all knew there were certain individuals who should not be offended during the competition for the Spirit Realm Cave Sky, like the instance of Zhu Houji seizing this particular Spirit Realm Cave Sky–none of them had made a move against him out of fear of the True Immortals behind him.
For people like the Blood Spirit Taoist to dare to make a move when the True Immortals were in seclusion was already a surprise, to engage directly with the disciples of these True Immortals was even more astonishing.
The terror of a True Immortal was recognized a hundred years prior, when several True Immortals, through their Avatars, roamed the World collecting the Creation Profound Mystery, causing countless Strong to fall at the hands of True Immortal Avatars, and solidifying the notion of a True Immortal's horror among the Cultivators.
If an Avatar of a True Immortal could dominate the World, what then of the sheer terror if the True Immortal's actual body intervened?
However, now that Blood Spirit Taoist had acted in this manner, even if he was lucky enough to win, the outcome waiting for him would not be pleasant. Once a True Immortal's wrath was invoked, there would be no escape.
"It is said that Blood Spirit Taoist has some connection with the Blood Fiend Ancestor and seems to have the support of a True Immortal in the background." The voice of a Strong rang out, revealing the foundation of Blood Spirit Taoist's confidence.
Indeed, after having witnessed the terror of a True Immortal, any Cultivator who dared to offend a True Immortal usually had the backing of a True Immortal themselves.
Today, those who dared to besiege Zhu Houji and still refused to retreat despite Pang Hong's arrival surely had the support of True Immortals behind them.
It was this kind of backing that gave them the confidence to dare to take action.
"So that's how it is?"
"In that case, this is essentially a confrontation supported by the True Immortals."
"That's right…"
"It seems that if this affair can't be resolved amicably, it might provoke a True Immortal to intervene." Some immediately contemplated the potential consequences. A top Spirit Realm Cave Sky could possibly give rise to a True Immortal of the Earth Immortal Path in the future.
If anything else might not be worthy of a True Immortal's intervention, then this top Spirit Realm Cave Sky certainly was.
"`
Thunder roared, sword qi filled the sky, the void trembled, and Pang Hong, wielding his divine sword, stood solemn and majestic, like a deity bathed in the blazing aura that spread in all directions. Above his head, thunder transformed into a pool of lightning, casting down strands of thunderous light to shield him.
With each horizontal sweep of the divine sword in his hand, sword qi pervaded all around him, each strand potent enough to obliterate the void, resembling the Thunder God himself, destroying countless galaxies as if to turn heaven and earth into a sea of sword qi.
"Sword Nine – Tai Chi!"
A thunderous shout echoed from Pang Hong as if it were the voice of the Great Tao, with a terrifying sword intent piercing through space and time, slashing towards the Blood Spirit Ancestor.
The Blood Spirit Ancestor's face also changed slightly, clearly understanding that this was the sword technique created by the Shenxiao True Monarch, even though the True Monarch had not yet stepped onto the Immortal Path when he created this technique.
But facing such a tyrant who had suppressed even the strongest in the Ninefold Spiritual Realm while only in the Spirit Realm Eightfold, he absolutely could not underestimate him, even if it was merely a sword technique originated by the other party.
"Blood Stains the Heavens, Strike Across Heaven and Earth!" The Blood Spirit Taoist no longer harbored any delusions of luck, attacking without reservation.
His Divine Saber slashed out, sending tens of thousands of blood-colored saber shadows bursting forth, as if turning heaven and earth blood-red in an instant, sweeping across vast expanses of the void.
The void trembled, heaven and earth shook, and the fighting power shown by the two combatants was second only to the peak existence of a True Immortal, the most formidable presence in between heaven and earth.
Cultivators at the Ninefold level of the Spirit Realm had reached the end of the mortal path, each possessing their own comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, with only one step away from the realm of transcendence and the Immortal Path.
Perhaps, ascension to a higher realm had made it impossible for them to borrow more of the Heavenly Earthly Force, but without a doubt, this very ascension had broken the shackles and bindings that held them, allowing them to unleash even stronger powers without the suppression of heaven and earth.
"Blood Path, it seems you indeed have connections with the Blood Fiend Sect," Pang Hong declared, his feet stepping on the void, his divine sword continuously slashing out; the void around him shattering abundantly, as he spoke like a deity with a cold voice.
The ways of cultivation in the Demonic Way are extremely diverse, but the Blood Path particularly reveres the Blood Fiend Sect, especially after the Blood Fiend Ancestor ascended to become a True Immortal.
As a giant of the Demonic Way, though always wandering the world as an Independent Practitioner, many people have speculated that this Blood Spirit Ancestor has links with the Blood Fiend Sect.
The Blood Spirit Taoist gave no sign of agreement or denial to Pang Hong's statement. Blood enveloped him, as if mountains of corpses and seas of blood lay beneath his feet, stepping out from the Sea of Blood like an Asura. His Divine Saber kept slashing without pause, like a blood dragon traversing the eight directions, "Truly, the Shenxiao Sword Technique is exceptional. If it weren't for my formidable power, I'd have likely fallen to that one strike."
In this moment, even though the opponent was merely a younger generation from the Spirit Realm Eightfold, the Blood Spirit Taoist dared not underestimate him. While unaware of what methods the other party used, this Little Thunder King's current display of power was in no way inferior to his own, especially that terrifyingley fervent strike just now.
The Shenxiao Sword Technique, a technique created by the Shenxiao True Monarch and accessible to all in the Taoist Academy for cultivation, yet no one besides the Little Thunder King before him could practice it to such an extent. Truly deserving to be the direct disciple of the True Monarch.
For a time, these two constantly exchanged blows, an evenly matched duel where neither could gain an upper hand.
However, the situation on a different battlefield was completely different, especially for Bai Qicang from Dragon Tiger Mountain, who Pei Xuanjing had praised as an existence close to a semi-Immortal among the strongest.
Even now, facing two adversaries alone, Bai Qicang's sword techniques and thunder methods left the two powerhouses incapable of anything but a passive defense, without the slightest opportunity for a counterattack.
To many, it seemed that the two would not be able to hold on much longer, and their defeat was imminent.
Though as beings of the Strongest Realm, they would not meet their deaths, their defeat would likely break the standoff immediately.
Wu Shijiu faced off against a formidable figure from the Demonic Way on his own. Originally matched against a Demonic Way powerhouse known for his eerie and bloodthirsty nature, this opponent could only awkwardly cope with Wu Shijiu's even stranger Witch Deity Teaching abilities.
Wang Boan moved effortlessly through the void, leisurely and at ease, as if blending into the space itself. The Demonic Way powerhouse, unable to leverage his power against Wang Boan, felt nothing but exasperation and helplessness.