Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

His body began to fall backward, and just at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared, steadying the soon-to-collapse Arthur. It was none other than Lu Yu, who had hurried here from the Netherworld.

He gently raised his sleeve, and a tremendous suction force emanated from the cuff, drawing in the God of Knowledge and Wisdom and the remaining souls involuntarily.

Four figures silently watched this scene unfold before them, with no one stepping forward to interfere.

"Finally, you come out, you vile little insect." The dark figure seemed not at all surprised by Lu Yu's arrival, as if it had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"I am truly flattered that such a lowly ant as myself would be deemed worthy of your attention," Lu Yu said with a light chuckle, his expression utterly devoid of fear.

The Lord of Death was the first to strike at Lu Yu, having recognized that Lu Yu was the one who had repeatedly spoiled his plans. With full force, the frightening Power of Death filled the world, surging toward Lu Yu in a mighty wave.

"Zhu Xian Sword Array, arise!" Lu Yu bellowed.

In an instant, four pillars of light rose from the four corners of the world, the Zhu Xian Four Swords themselves. The beams of light pierced the sky, forming a gigantic Array that enveloped heaven and earth. The chilling intent of killing that radiated from the Array made even the Lord of Death's Power of Death seem somewhat ashamed in comparison.

This was the supreme Killing Array of the Ancient Times, the Zhu Xian Sword Array, impenetrable by any but the four Saints.

Once the Array was complete, it encompassed the four ancient beings as if intending to slay them. The four innate treasured swords shone brilliantly, carrying endless murderous intent and destruction, charging toward the four people within the Array.

"What a terrifying Array!" The Lord of Death exclaimed earnestly, his insight and knowledge fully attuned to the power of the Array. It was a pity that it was deployed by Lu Yu alone, like a child wielding a heavy hammer, unable to bring out the true power of the Array.

The four ancient beings seemed to reach a silent consensus, and a vast power swept through all directions. The Zhu Xian Sword Array began to tremble precariously, and the swords suspended in the sky emitted an enormous sound.

This was their true power. How could Lu Yu, with his current realm and strength, possibly hope to slay them? It was already remarkable that he was able to trap them for even this short time.

But that brief moment was enough. From the beginning, Lu Yu had no intention of directly confronting the ancient beings, as the gap in strength between them and himself was too vast. He was simply using this time to successfully locate his own causality, allowing the Saints to track it back to this place.

In the blink of an eye, the Zhu Xian Sword Array was shattered by the combined efforts of the four. Yet, in that brief span, all the Saints of the Three Realms descended, facing off against the ancient beings who had been eying the Three Realms with covetous greed. This was their first meeting and their first true clash.

The great battle sparked in an instant, and the formerly composed expressions of the four ancient beings were gone. They were acutely aware of the strength of their opponents—on the verge of Transcendence, a realm that they envied deeply.

The Lord of Trickery made his move, with strange light flickering in his enormous eyeballs, and the surroundings instantly transformed. It seemed as if everyone had been transported into Chaos.

Lu Yu could vividly feel the terror of the Chaos Power. All his own powers seemed to be reversing. In that moment, he felt as helpless as an infant, and the erosion of the Chaos Power was still ongoing.

"Do not fear, it is deceit," a gentle voice sounded beside him. Empress Hou Tu was the first to shelter Lu Yu within her divine light.

Lu Yu looked around, realizing that it was the Lord of Trickery who had deceived the cosmos, causing the environment to change. They were now in the true Chaos, where he seemed to seek to increase his odds through such means.

After all, they were beings born from Chaos; being in Chaos was like returning home to them, whereas the Saints of the Three Realms had no experience traveling through Chaos because of the ancient beings outside their world, covetously watching. This change gave the ancient beings the upper hand.

But this was just what the Saints had intended. The battle was but a rehearsal for the time of Transcendence. They had to adapt to the environment of Chaos in advance; otherwise, upon reaching Transcendence, even the slightest deficiency could prove disastrous.

The Immortal Sword Array reappeared, but this time it was not a fabrication deployed by Lu Yu but a genuine Killing Array set up by the Three Pure Ones together with Lu Ya.

The terrifying intent to kill filled every corner of space, with the force of destruction rampaging mercilessly; even Chaos couldn't withstand such dreadful power.

The thick power that resembled paste stirred into formation, creating terrifying vortices from which the murderous Sword Qi penetrated.

The Lord of Trickery let out a scream of agony as the horrific killing intent poked at his eyes, pierced through his deceit, and returned everyone to the world on the brink of annihilation.

Purple-black blood began to drip from his eyes, falling into the world about to burst apart, emitting thunderous roars.

A sinister light burst forth from the injured eyes, carrying the power capable of destroying all things, and launched a terrible attack toward All Saints.

A Three Treasures Ruyi rose into the sky, stabilizing earth, wind, water, and fire, causing even the decaying world to momentarily pause. The terrible power flying in mid-air gradually dissipated under the suppression of the Ruyi as if it had never appeared.

At the same time, the power of the Immortal Sword Array burst forth once more, adding numerous wounds to the Lord of Trickery. It was then that an eerie figure suddenly appeared on the Three Pure Ones and Lu Ya, entirely pitch-black, carrying a terrible demonic hum, entwining around the four of them.

The Dark Side of the Cosmos made its move. Utilizing the deceitful abilities of the Lord of Trickery, it silently crept into the souls of the four, attempting to control their bodies.

But what beings were these, that they could be so easily manipulated? Each of the four revealed their Fruit of Tao: The Primordial Heavenly Venerable's head was covered with auspicious clouds that shielded against the shadow's advance; the Elder Lord's head shone with the Linglong Xuanhuang Pagoda, casting down myriad auspicious signifiers that instantly suppressed the shadow, rendering it immobile.

The Green Sword flashed over the body of the Tongtian Sect Leader, and the terrifying Sword Qi instantly shredded the shadow to pieces, whereas Lu Ya engulfed the shadow in a golden flame capable of burning through the world.

All four employed unique methods, yet all repelled the shadow to no avail, but the Zhu Xian Sword Array still stood firm, its terrifying killing intent continuously eroding the bodies of the four.

The Dark Side of the Cosmos emitted an eerie sound, its colossal form seemingly sprouting countless Demon Lords, all chanting in a wicked voice that bore the power to corrupt and shake the resolve of All Saints.

"Amitabha, the sea of suffering is boundless; turn back, and you shall find the shore." The chant of Buddha arose as the three Western Sect Leaders took action together, and the Boundless Light manifested in this world.

Chants of Zen beckoned, and the wheels of merit above the heads of the three Buddhas shone brightly. When this light shone upon the Demon Lords, countless of them were instantly converted, now with expressions of compassion, starting to recite the Buddhist Scriptures.

The power of Buddhism seemed to generate and restrain that of the Dark Side of the Cosmos, and upon clashing were instantly suppressed by the three Western Sect Leaders, resulting in continuous screams of agony.

Empress Hou Tu unleashed the full extent of her power in another battlefield, with the power of Reincarnation pervading the world, continuously purifying the Power of Death wielded by the Lord of Death.

Upon encountering Hou Tu, the Lord of Death seemed to lose his previous dominance and strength, perfectly restrained by the power of Reincarnation so that he couldn't utilize more than half his power. Far from aiding, he himself seemed on the brink of danger.

After all, the All Saints had not yet chosen Transcendence and were at the height of their power, whereas these four invaders had their strength diminished.

The situation seemed quite clear; with their current power, these four figures from days of old were no match for All Saints, and failure appeared to be an obvious outcome.

But All Saints were still cautious, for no one knew what other methods these foes possessed. They had lived through overly long epochs, even predating the Three Realms, and might still possess some bizarre and unpredictable techniques not yet disclosed.

Great power swept across the land, and this world could no longer hold on, beginning to utterly disintegrate.