With a sharp tearing sound, the void was ripped apart by two massive claws, revealing a spatial rift over a thousand zhang long.
A dark figure flickered, and a mountain-sized form stepped out through the rift. Then, with a flash of light, two more streaks of radiance shot out in quick pursuit.
Once the brilliance faded, a young Daoist priest and a gaunt man in yellow robes emerged from the light respectively.
After the black qi dissolving from the giant's body, his true appearance was finally revealed — a jet-black colossus with curved horns growing from his head and rows of short bone spines jutting from his back. His face looked no different from an ordinary man's, even bearing a hint of honest simplicity, yet the aura radiating from his body brought a suffocating, terrifying pressure.
" Fellow Daoist Bumie, what magnificent abilities. You managed to tear open the void with nothing but your transformation body, allowing us to enter this space with ease." The yellow-robed man glanced around and then addressed the giant with a smile.
"Haha, that's all thanks to Brother Huang using the Nine-Phantom Ruyi Gate to loosen the spatial barrier's power by eight or nine parts. Without that, how could I possibly accomplish something like this on my own?" The giant let out a hearty laugh, then a layer of black flame swept across his body and his form rapidly shrank down, transforming into a towering man standing two zhang tall.
"Heh, that may be true, but without Fellow Daoist's great power breaking through most of the barrier, entering this place would still have been impossible," the yellow-robed man replied with a chuckle.
"Enough, stop flattering each other. This poor Daoist didn't come all this way to listen to idle talk. Let's find that man and settle this matter quickly." The young Daoist priest beside them spoke coldly, his eyes rolling upward. Dark green snake-like patterns marked his face, and his pupils were eerily narrow and vertical — resembling those of a serpent.
"Fellow Daoist Sanquan, there's no need to rush. Even if Qing Yuanzi has begun his Heavenly Tribulation, it absolutely won't be over in three or five days. That gives us more than enough time to reach the tribulation site," the yellow-roched man replied unhurriedly.
This yellow-roched man was none other than Huang Yuanzi. The other two beside him were two other renowned Mahayana powerhouses — "Heavenly Lord Bumie" and "Daoist Sanquan."
"So it seems you've been plotting against Qing Yuanzi for quite some time, to have already learned the exact timing and location of his tribulation," the young Daoist remarked, casting a sideways glance at Huang Yuanzi with a peculiar tone.
"Of course. Qing Yuanzi is no member of our Changyuan Race at all. He is a foreign Primordial Spirit who seized the body of one of my direct blood relatives to cultivate to his current realm. That kinsman once showed me an enormous kindness. I abandoned my original surname and took my current name for no other reason than to never forget this deep enmity — in the hope that one day I might reclaim my kinsman's body." Huang Yuanzi's voice turned suddenly cold and sinister.
"So Fellow Daoist truly harbors such a deep grudge against Qing Yuanzi. Rest assured, I will certainly help you achieve your wish," the giant said, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes as a broad grin spread across his face.
"I couldn't care less about your feud with Qing Yuanzi. I'll put in however much effort matches the payment offered. As for whether Qing Yuanzi can actually be killed in the end — that depends mostly on your own abilities," Daoist Sanquan remarked in a detached, neither-warm-nor-cold tone.
"Rest easy. I invited Brother Sanquan here precisely for your expertise in formations. With your mastery as a formation grandmaster, combined with my Nine-Phantom Ruyi Gate, whatever restrictions Qing Yuanzi has set up will be nothing but empty air to us." Huang Yuanzi showed no anger, speaking with the confidence of someone holding all the cards.
"I hope it truly turns out that way. I've heard Qing Yuanzi is also quite well-versed in the Dao of formations. Whatever restrictions he's set for his tribulation are surely far from ordinary." Daoist Sanquan's expression softened slightly as he spoke in a measured tone.
"Haha, I have the utmost confidence in you, Brother Sanquan. Now then, let's be on our way. This time, only one of us — Qing Yuanzi or I — will leave this space alive." Huang Yuanzi let out a loud laugh, flicked his sleeve, and transformed into a streak of brilliant light that shot into the sky.
Heavenly Lord Bumie and Daoist Sanquan exchanged a glance. Light enveloped their bodies as well, and they rose into the air to follow after him.
……
Within the valley, atop the elevated platform, Qing Yuanzi was already floating cross-legged in the air at a height of over a dozen zhang. Dozens of azure flying swords circled and danced around him, his face devoid of expression, both eyes shut tight.
Below him, over a hundred banners shimmered with spiritual light, surging forth with layers of five-colored radiance that conjured countless brilliant runes floating above the great platform.
The magic treasures arranged on the various levels beneath the platform began emitting a low, resonant hum, sending wave after wave of auspicious qi streaming outward, vanishing into the void.
As for the thousand-odd statues surrounding the high platform, they remained exactly as before — utterly motionless — as though everything unfolding upon the platform had nothing whatsoever to do with them.
Yuan Yao stood beneath one of the formation banners, her expression tense, head tilted upward as she gazed at the sky.
High above, red clouds already churned in great billowing masses. Waves of dark wind howled and screamed through the air, and wherever they passed, the void itself trembled faintly.
The red clouds rolled thicker and thicker, until from a distance they seemed to blanket the entire sky without leaving a single gap. Yet within them, a scorching heat could be faintly discerned.
Before long, a flash of crimson light blazed within the clouds, and dense clusters of blazing light spheres condensed in rapid succession. Then, with a deafening roar, they rained down like a torrential storm.
At the same instant, Qing Yuanzi's eyes snapped open below. His arm swept upward, and a single finger traced a line through the air toward the heavens.
A soft *pu* sound rang out.
A strand of azure sword qi over a thousand zhang long surged forth in response. With a slight flourish, it transformed into a layer of hazy azure light that enveloped the entire great platform beneath its canopy.
The blazing red orbs struck the azure barrier and detonated one after another, scattering into countless sparks of flame. Yet the moment they touched the sword light, they fizzled away into nothingness — not a single wisp managed to penetrate through.