“This…”
Tian Fan’s voice trembled slightly. The scene before him was nothing short of apocalyptic. Though the battle raged high in the heavens, the tremors reached the earth below, shaking the very ground.
“Hey! Why are you pulling me?”
Zi Ying had been playfully teasing Xiao Hua when Tian Fan suddenly grabbed her, pulling her further away.
This place was far too dangerous.
“Do you intend to sink this land?” Shangguan Yuntian’s expression darkened as he glared coldly at the three supreme experts before him.
“Don’t worry. We won’t let that happen,” the black-robed elder said indifferently. Together with the other two experts, he manipulated the storm clouds and lightning above. Massive bolts of thunder crashed down, illuminating the sky in alternating flashes of pitch-black and ghastly white.
“Hmph…”
Shangguan Yuntian snorted, golden light erupting from his body. A towering beam of energy shot upward, dispersing the thick layers of dark clouds.
“Kill!”
The three experts roared in unison, channeling the violet lightning above them into a sea of thunder that surged toward Shangguan Yuntian. Wherever it passed, space itself fractured, and the heavens seemed to shatter. The streaks of lightning resembled furious dragons.
Boom!
Shangguan Yuntian was sent flying backward, yet his expression remained calm. With a wave of his left hand, an unstoppable golden hurricane formed, drawing in even the surrounding tempest winds and merging them into its power.
Boom!
A devastating energy storm erupted in the sky, dazzling in its brilliance but radiating an overwhelming aura of destruction. This was a battlefield for those at the Return to Immortality realm—no ordinary cultivator could survive here.
“Ah!”
The black-robed elder’s aura surged to terrifying heights, his roar shaking the heavens and making eardrums tremble.
In contrast, the Ghost Immortal appeared far gentler, standing at a distance while continuously casting strange and sinister spells toward Shangguan Yuntian. Dark bolts of lightning materialized out of nowhere, exploding around him.
Yet, Shangguan Yuntian’s body seemed impervious to the lightning, his physique tougher than divine metal. A faint golden glow enveloped him, effortlessly withstanding thousands of thunderous strikes.
The former Yin-Yang Sect Master, wielding his Yin-Yang Sword, fought with even greater ferocity. A single slash unleashed a godly radiance that split space itself, summoning chaotic spatial currents that shredded the surrounding winds.
“Seventeenth Sword!”
Shangguan Yuntian’s cold shout echoed as eight golden divine swords materialized around him, orbiting in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams, moving in sync with his steps.
Boom!
The profound mysteries of the Eight Trigrams unfolded, revealing their terrifying might.
Tian Fan felt a deep shock—Qian represented Heaven, Kun represented Earth, Kan represented Water, Li represented Fire, Zhen represented Thunder, Gen represented Mountain, Xun represented Wind, and Dui represented Marsh. This sword technique embodied the ultimate principles of the Eight Trigrams, resonating with something deep within him.
During his earlier battle with the three Sword Immortal Sect disciples, he had glimpsed a trace of the Eight Trigrams’ divine power—an unfathomable force. Now, witnessing Shangguan Yuntian’s technique, his mind and body entered a state of pure clarity.
Once again, he found himself in that mysterious space where life and death intertwined, where all things withered and flourished in perfect balance.
“Huh? Little Tian Tian, you…” Zi Ying stared at him in surprise, sensing the change in him. With her cultivation, how could she not tell that Tian Fan had gained a new enlightenment?
“Hah! Excellent! As expected of the one my daughter protects—you truly are extraordinary!”
Though locked in battle above, Shangguan Yuntian spared a portion of his attention for the ground. Seeing Tian Fan’s state, he laughed heartily, slowly executing his Seventeenth Sword.
The Eight Trigrams—Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Gen, Xun, Dui—rotated majestically.
At the same time, a golden divine light shot from his brow, piercing the heavens and directly entering Tian Fan’s body.
Boom!
As the golden light merged into Tian Fan’s forehead, his furrowed brows relaxed. Behind him, a hazy divine diagram materialized, faint traces of Primordial Chaos swirling within it. Though weak, the sight made Zi Ying’s face pale.
“Taiji, Liangyi, Sixiang, Bagua…”
Tian Fan’s eyes remained tightly shut, but his hands slowly rose, weaving a series of profound and enigmatic seals. The divine diagram behind him grew clearer, emitting an inexplicable force that pushed even Zi Ying away. Within a hundred-zhang radius of Tian Fan, nothing could approach—he was completely isolated.
“This guy…” Zi Ying was stunned.
Tian Fan’s presence had vanished entirely—even she, who had left her own spiritual mark on him, could no longer sense him. Yet he stood right before her eyes.
Hummm…
When his aura reappeared, the divine diagram behind him had solidified further.
The former Yin-Yang Sect Master, fighting in the sky, shuddered and looked down, his pupils constricting.
“That is—!”
Behind Tian Fan, a grand Dao Diagram had manifested. At its center was a Yin-Yang Fish—black on the left, white on the right, each containing a dot of the other’s color. This was the highest realm of Yin-Yang: Yang harboring Yin, Yin embracing Yang.
“Hahaha!”
Shangguan Yuntian laughed triumphantly, wielding the power of the eight divine swords to force the three experts back. The Eight Trigrams rotated endlessly, unleashing a mysterious and overwhelming force.
The three experts roared in frustration. Despite being only an avatar, Shangguan Yuntian’s strength was terrifying. Even working together, they couldn’t push him back.
Under the Seventeenth Sword, the former Yin-Yang Sect Master faltered for a split second and was struck by a bolt of thunderfire, his robes charred and tattered. The black-robed elder, trapped by the Dui (Marsh) power of the Eight Trigrams, slowed drastically, taking a direct sword slash that left him bleeding profusely.
“Hehehe…”
The Ghost Immortal chuckled darkly from a safe distance, having avoided injury.
“And you!”
Shangguan Yuntian’s cold gaze locked onto him. From his eyes, two golden divine swords materialized, crossing space in an instant. Though the Ghost Immortal dodged with incredible speed, one sword grazed his shoulder.
The distant spectators paled.
Three Return to Immortality experts had joined forces against Shangguan Yuntian, yet they were still wounded! The thought was staggering—this was the undefeated legend of the Divine Martial Continent.
“Eight Trigrams!”
At that moment, Tian Fan’s voice thundered.
The divine diagram behind him fully solidified.
The Eight Trigrams—Qian, Kun, Kan, Li, Zhen, Gen, Xun, Dui—orbited the central Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, imprinting upon it in a profound and mysterious arrangement.
Around him, the world seemed to revert to its primordial state, faint wisps of Chaos permeating the air.
Sensing an unusual aura, the distant observers turned their gazes toward him. When they saw the mysterious diagram behind Tian Fan, someone shrieked in recognition:
“The Five Elements Eight Trigrams Seal!”
Finally, Tian Fan opened his eyes.
In an instant, he stood up, his gaze lifting toward the heavens. He felt stronger—closer than ever to the Cloud Heaven Peak, as if he could step into that realm at any moment.