The instant Erlang was forced out of the black domain, the atmosphere throughout the Nether Realm changed abruptly.

The immortals of Earth's cultivation world, who had believed their chances of victory were fairly high, all felt their Dao Hearts sink at once. Mu Wanxuan's beautiful face turned pale in an instant, making her already delicate appearance seem even more pitiful. Before her gaze could even shift fully toward the black domain, she had already rushed toward it instinctively.

Erlang, famed throughout the ages, did not hesitate in the slightest. The moment he was pushed out, he immediately charged back, his spear in hand. However, the instant he reached the edge of the black domain, he was stopped cold. Immortal light exploded around him as he thrust his spear violently, but the edge of the domain blocked even its tip.

He can't enter?

"Hmph!"

Erlang's expression remained calm. He switched the spear to his left hand and clenched his right hand into a tight fist. Afterward, he launched what seemed like a slow-motion strike. Strands of blood mist containing immeasurable power spread as the very fabric of the Nether Realm shattered inch by inch.

Even so, the black domain did not move in the slightest. All the force he unleashed seemed unable to find a place to land—like an arrow without a target.

This was the power of laws. More precisely, it was an abnormal set of laws entirely different from those of their universe.

The domain existed as a self-contained realm, forcibly creating a dimensional trap that isolated space itself and prevented outsiders from entering.

Unless those laws could be destroyed directly, entering the domain was nearly impossible.

At that moment, streaks of light shot across the sky.

The figures arriving behind Erlang were all experts from Earth's cultivation world. Although Mu Wanxuan had moved first, one of Qinghua's black clones reached the scene before everyone else.

Without wasting time with words, Great Dao manifestations and immortal light erupted simultaneously. Brilliant radiance burst across the dim world below, as though it sought to tear the black domain apart by force.

Xu Zhongliang frowned deeply. "How is this possible?"

Just as he was about to speak again, dozens of streaks of light slammed toward them from the side. Large numbers of experts from Feng Jiu's faction rushed over to stop them, and the battlefield instantly descended into chaotic fighting once more.

Mu Wanxuan anxiously pressed forward, though she knew rushing over recklessly would only create trouble. She moved her delicate hands continuously as she danced through the battlefield like a divine butterfly, doing her best to hold off several enemy Grand Dao Golden Immortals and Golden Immortals.

Having received the heaviest attacks, Qinghua's clone was quickly destroyed.

Qinghua himself remained locked in battle against the Black Emperor and the other experts, yet his gaze never once left the direction of the black domain.

Erlang's divine eye opened on his forehead. Right after, he transformed into a blur of light and moved rapidly around the black domain. He swung and thrust his spear over and over, launching attacks as fierce as raging fire.

Heaven and earth shook violently around him. The aftershocks alone forced experts from both factions to retreat again and again. Those with slightly shallower cultivation failed to even track Erlang.

This was how powerful the greatest immortal of the post–Heavenly Court era truly was.

However, the more terrifying he appeared, the more anxious the immortals of Earth's cultivation world grew.

Wang Sheng remained trapped inside alone.

Earth's sword immortal, the Holy Child who carried Nuwa's mission on his shoulders, the man whom Feng Jiu had imprisoned and manipulated for endless years before finally standing up once more, now faced the mysterious outsider by himself.

If Wang Sheng truly held the advantage when Erlang was forced out, why would Erlang appear so anxious now?

Junior Brother...

Mu Wanxuan clenched her fists tightly, her eyes becoming incomparably deep and profound. The phantasm of a sacred tree appeared behind her as dense life force spread through the death-filled lands of the Nether Realm.

She slowly pushed her left fist and right palm forward together. A black-and-white Tai Chi diagram swept all enemies around her under the sacred tree as boundless vitality descended upon them, making it seem as if heaven itself was restraining them.

In the blink of an eye, several enemies froze completely in place. As their auras solidified, pale-green saplings and tender shoots sprouted from their bodies. They stood motionless as their eyes lost all focus.

Before Mu Wanxuan could disperse the sacred tree phantasm, more than ten streaks of light surged toward her and blocked her path once more.

The numerical advantage of Feng Jiu's faction became increasingly obvious as the battle dragged on. Moreover, now that Erlang had been stopped outside the domain, the experts under Feng Jiu fought even more fiercely, eager to claim merit for themselves.

"True Lord!" Xu Zhongliang shouted. "If you cannot enter, then kill Feng Jiu's lackeys first! Otherwise, we have no chance of victory today!"

Erlang's sword-like brow furrowed slightly as he stared at the impenetrable black domain. Abandoning a comrade who had been fighting beside him went against everything he believed in. However, the situation no longer allowed hesitation or further attempts.

At once, Erlang turned toward Qinghua's battlefield. He bent his legs slightly before he stepped through space and soared like a golden roc spreading its wings and taking to the skies.

The next moment, chaos erupted within the enemy faction. Qinghua, who had been surrounded moments earlier, immediately reversed the momentum of the battle. Black energy surged wildly around him as though it sought to engulf the entire Nether Realm.

"Do not retreat!"

"Our leader is about to emerge with the sword immortal's head!"

"Those who help establish the new Heavenly Court will enjoy endless ages of peace and glory!"

Several female immortals within Feng Jiu's faction shouted encouragement. Strands of pale-red aura spread in every direction, and the expressions of many immortals and gods under Feng Jiu gradually turned savage.

By now, many immortals and gods in this great war had completely lost themselves in slaughter. Corpses kept falling from the sky and crashing onto the dark ground of the Nether Realm, where blue-white flames ignited upon impact.

The casualties had already begun spiraling out of control.

***

Meanwhile, inside the black domain.

From the outside, the domain appeared pitch black, like a black hole. Yet within, the world was a vast expanse of white. Laws of the Great Dao manifested everywhere, while countless fragmented ribbons of multicolored light drifted endlessly through the air.

Between those drifting ribbons of light, two masses of radiance collided nonstop.

Sword radiance streaked in every direction as sword energy crisscrossed the space. Mountains and palaces appeared and vanished in succession, transforming into countless scenes drawn from mortal life, along with all manner of strange illusions.

Within the cyan glow stood Wang Sheng, sword in hand.

Spiritless shimmered with seven-colored light. Behind him, layers of sword intent evolved into countless celestial bodies. With a trace of anger lingering in his clear eyes, he continuously formed signs with his left hand, shaping creation itself into attacks that he launched at his opponent.

In front of him was Feng Jiu, who was wrapped in crimson light.

She still looked like the Queen Mother, making her breathtakingly and incomparably beautiful. She shifted ceaselessly through the battlefield as she pushed and turned her nearly transparent jade-like with effortless grace, calmly neutralizing Wang Sheng's attacks.

Right now, Wang Sheng's sword momentum surged like a violent storm, forcing Feng Jiu to retreat and reposition continuously. She had little room left to launch counterattacks of her own.

Still, a faint smile rested on Feng Jiu's lips. The look in her eyes was equally strange.

Amid the fierce clash, Feng Jiu's lips moved slightly, and a voice transmission slipped directly into Wang Sheng's ears.

"There's only the two of us here. Why not stop for a moment and talk?"

Wang Sheng acted as though he had heard nothing. Yuan Tu led several top-grade immortal swords as they circled him. He had already unleashed the Sword-Controlling Art, splitting his focus across multiple techniques at once while pushing his offensive to its absolute limit.

Feng Jiu did not seem tense at all. Instead, she looked as though she were carefully admiring him.

Her gaze made Wang Sheng deeply uncomfortable. Truthfully, even he felt uncertain right now. His offense looked fierce enough, but it lacked the sustained rhythm needed to maintain pressure. It felt like a raging fire that would eventually burn itself out and weaken.

And honestly, he had every reason to feel uncertain.

Originally, he and Erlang had entered this battle together against Feng Jiu. After stepping into the black domain, the two exchanged a glance and immediately understood each other's intentions. Both unleashed their full strength, hoping to end the battle quickly.

The old Heavenly Court's war god was an unmatched master of physical cultivation. He had even once left the Immortal Emperor helpless and humiliated. Even now, Feng Jiu's faction avoided provoking him unless absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng was the bearer of the Great Dao of Creation, which Nuwa herself had entrusted to him. With only a three-chi sword in hand, he had risen from obscurity and stirred heaven and earth twice over, becoming the man many of the Heavenly Court's survivors believed could restore the Heavenly Court itself.

When the two went all out, even Feng Jiu struggled at first. She quickly fell into a defensive position, surrounding herself with countless bizarre Great Dao manifestations that formed a cocoon of laws around her. Through them, she endured the barrage head-on.

In the opening exchange, Wang Sheng and Erlang clearly had the advantage. Even Feng Jiu's expression showed traces of contemplation, as though she were searching for a way to break free from the situation.

But only moments later, cracks appeared across her cocoon of laws, and a flicker of anger crossed her face. She emitted immortal light as she snorted coldly and paid some unknown price to force both Wang Sheng and Erlang away at the same time.

Once Erlang vanished from the domain, the battle became a direct duel between Wang Sheng and Feng Jiu alone.

Wang Sheng never hesitated, and retreat never crossed his mind. He charged forward with sword in hand, unleashing his footwork techniques and immortal arts to their limits. A relentless flurry of attacks allowed him to seize the advantage early. Using every method at his disposal, he managed to restrain Feng Jiu, but only barely.

On the surface, everything appeared perfectly normal.

Though Feng Jiu was the reincarnation of the Heavenly Court's Immortal Emperor and an external devil with unfathomable divine abilities, Nuwa had once wounded her during the Ancient Era. Nuwa had also kept Feng Jiu at her side as an attendant.

Moreover, near the Heavenly Court's destruction, Feng Jiu fought the Three Pure Ones. They annihilated her with only one strike, severely damaging her primal qi. Even now, she could only appear using the Queen Mother's appearance. If she were still as strong as the Immortal Emperor at his peak, even all of Earth's cultivators combined would not have been enough to challenge her.

Why did Feng Jiu's expression brighten the moment Erlang was expelled from this domain, then? Amusement now showed in her eyes. There was also complete calm, as though everything remained under her control the whole time.

Not only that, she even showed a trace of pity, making it seem as if she were looking at a fool. Although she kept retreating from Wang Sheng's attacks, the pressure and anger from before had vanished almost entirely. She moved effortlessly through the battlefield like a butterfly weaving through flowers. Gradually, she even started to toy with him.

"Fei Yu, why don't we have a chat?" Feng Jiu gently asked. "Right now, we're the only ones here. Are you truly not interested in me at all?"

Wang Sheng remained silent. Every time he looked at this beautiful older woman before him, he could not help but remember that underneath her form was actually a male immortal who had once ruled the Immortal Saint Realm.

Still, she was Yaoyun's parent. Basic courtesy was still necessary.

"We settle this with life and death," Wang Sheng answered calmly as he swung his sword nonstop.

It had the power to sever the Great Dao itself, yet something was still missing. That final step required endless years of comprehension. In the end, Wang Sheng's foundation was still lacking

Feng Jiu only smiled faintly and slowly shook her head. She rested her left hand behind her back and formed a sword finger with her right. Calmly, she pointed forward.

Wang Sheng suddenly froze. Curved surfaces appeared around him one after another.

Time! It is time itself!

The aura around Feng Jiu transformed instantly. Although the masculine stance looked somewhat strange when paired with her female form, the look in her eyes, her bearing, and even her voice truly resembled that of someone who had once stood above all living beings.

"Wang Sheng, do you have any other trump cards left? If not, then I will truly be disappointed."

The yellow light that had gathered within Wang Sheng's right hand slowly spread. The curved distortions around him rapidly dissolved as the pale-yellow radiance enveloped him.

No technique could harm him; no corruption could ever get close.

Creation—Absolute Domain.

Spiritless hummed lowly. Wang Sheng raised it and pointed its tip at Feng Jiu.

This chuunibyou old lady.

Feng Jiu smiled and shook her head. She then suddenly swung her sword finger downward.

Wang Sheng immediately prepared to charge forward, but just as he moved, his eyes widened abruptly. The sword hilt in his right hand suddenly vanished.

Poof!

A familiar blade burst out through Wang Sheng's chest. Only the hilt remained behind him, trembling violently.

S-Spiritless...?

"Yao...yun..."