Wham!

The Arcane Golden Orb shattered the giant face with connate power. Outside Dusk Province, color drained from the face of an old man and he threw up a mouthful of dark blood.

“He really is able to activate a connate-grade treasure on his own. How is this possible…?” Disbelief flashed through Elder Undone Earth’s eyes.

The giant face was only a projection of heavenly qi he’d created with his combat art, rather than being an integral part of him, yet Qing Taxian’s attack had bypassed his combat art and injured him. That was something only a connate-grade treasure could achieve!

Qing Taxian was but a peerless immortal.

“He’s not drawing on outside help, he’s tapping into the treasure’s power on his own! What’s going on here?!” roared the elder in frustration. Even he, a crippled origin dao immortal, had trouble deploying the Immortal Martial School’s connate-grade treasure, let alone a peerless immortal.

It didn’t make a lick of sense. More importantly, Qing Taxian’s power was currently suppressed to the august immortal realm.

……

Qing Taxian paid no more attention to the defeated elder. With a wave of his hand, the Arcane Golden Orb returned and hovered over his head, spewing forth blinding light.

Situ Zong had soared into the air as well. Cultivation suppressed to the august immortal realm, he unleashed the power of the Pelagic Orb over his head. Its discolored light cast the land below in gray.

The two connate-grade treasures shone down on Dusk Province, turning everything in the area a mixture of gray and gold. The giant eyes of the human demon manifested as well, staring unblinkingly at the Primus soldiers marching in from the north.

Yu Wenteng scowled darkly. Two connate-grade treasures with their power completely unleashed were too great a threat to him.

“The dao treasure is important to all beings in the world of immortals, Lu Yun. It’s bigger than one person!” Yu Wenteng reprimanded. “Remember the invasion of yin spirits that destroyed Azure Province? Such a calamity can strike the world of immortals anytime!”

“Right.” Lu Yun nodded. “I resolved the invasion of yin spirits in Azure.”

Yu Wenteng paused, struck dumb by the rejoinder.

An elderly man by Yu Wenteng’s side spoke up in a chilling tone, “Over the past eighty thousand years, the world of immortals has seen many generations of celestial emperors of the nine majors—”

“Shut up!” interrupted Lu Feng. Expression dark, he glared at the old man with eagle-like eyes and snapped, “I’ll kill you if you say another word.”

“Hahaha!” Yu Wenteng scoffed. “Lu Feng, isn’t it? Do you come from that place as well? Have you not realized yet how bad things have become?

“The nine celestial emperors ended their terms prematurely to fill the gap. Even the Purple Firmament, maintaining order in the world of immortals all this time, has retreated as well...” Yu Wenteng took a step forward as he spoke. “Do you really think those secrets should be kept so closely still?”

Lu Feng fell silent.

Emboldened by the man’s lack of response, Yu Wenteng shouted, “Surrender the dao treasure for the sake of all living beings!”

“For the sake of all living beings? How noble,” Lu Yun snorted. “If that’s the case, then Primus Court should hand over the connate-grade treasures reinforcing your rule, first. After all, the treasures can crush any and every yin spirit and ghost.”

“Ludicrous!” Yu Wenteng sneered. “Connate-grade treasures are far too important. How many in the world do you think can use...”

Hum.

Hum.

Before Yu Wenteng could finish, two beams of iridescent light shot into the sky from Dusk Province, contrasting and resonating with one another. The aura of two connate-grade treasures rushed across the land with overwhelming might.

Humiliation struck the prince like a ringing slap in the face.

“There are a great many talents in Dusk who can use connate-grade treasures.” Lu Yun put a hand behind his back. “Besides, there are so many of you. Who should I give the dao treasure to?”

He brandished the spear in his hand. As the spear had become one with Lu Yun’s nascent spirit, so did its power of time, which granted Lu Yun another combat art—Time Reincarnation.

He hadn’t fully mastered the combat art, though. Like Spatial Reincarnation, he needed the medium of a dao treasure to use the combat art.

“Whoever hands over their connate-grade treasures first will get the dao treasure,” Qing Yu said with a smile, batting her eyelashes. “If it’s for the sake of everyone in the world, a connate-grade treasure is only a reasonable price, isn’t it?”

She shifted her gaze to Yu Wenteng.

Face impassive, Yu Wenteng lifted his right hand. Once he dropped it, hundreds of millions of heavenly soldiers would charge into Dusk. He didn’t want to continue talking. The longer the conversation went on, the less he had the moral high ground or even a way to save face.

Rumble!

A thunderous noise rang from above the sky as a gold figure fell down and splashed heavily into the North Sea bordering Dusk, instantly crushing many Primus soldiers to death.

“Grrrawl!” Scarlet Ape exploded out of the water, howling and spinning the iron rod in its hands.

“You’ve lost.” An elegant, opulently classy Empress Myrtlestar kept Scarlet Ape under control with a single glance. Having melded the Cosmic Eyes into her own, she conjured an endless wave of starlight with her gaze. “Stop this futile struggle. If I can defeat you, I can also kill you.”

She waved her hand and dropped the fiery cape belonging to Scarlet Ape into the North Sea.

Many more Primus soldiers were smashed to death by the resulting fiery deluge.

As easily as that, the Primus soldiers lost their calm, orderly battle formations scattering as endless waves swept them off their feet.

“You!!” Yu Wenteng’s fury set his eyes ablaze. The clash between the powerful figures had destroyed Primus Major’s morale, and his men no longer possessed the courage to fight!

Noting Empress Myrtlestar’s triumphant return, Ghost Phoenix and Ghost Dragon nodded at her from the center of Dusk before turning and vanishing without a trace.

“Kekeke—” Scarlet Ape grimaced and grabbed its cape. Throwing a vicious glare at Empress Myrtlestar, it disappeared into the North Sea.

It knew she’d only spared it because of its dao partner, the silver scarlet ape currently residing on Levitating Island. Even more powerful than the golden ape, it would destroy heaven and earth if it made a move.

Empress Myrtlestar wasn’t its match, at least not yet.

“Some might refrain from getting involved in the conflicts of this world because of undue concern for the measly rules and balance of the world of immortals,” said Empress Myrtlestar. “However, I care not about any of that. If the heavenly soldiers of Primus Major ever set foot in Dusk, I will take the Primus Court down!”

Bam!

She made a backhand strike and left an enormous violet-gold handprint in the sky. Heaven and earth trembled in its wake; she’d shattered part of the world of immortals!

The pitch-black hole in the shape of her hand led directly to the cosmos outside the realm.