Ling Xiao had defeated the East King Duke and the Queen Mother of the West single-handedly, a feat that struck a bone-deep terror into the hearts of the many gathered Experts.
These two were both Quasi-Saint level Experts who held Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasures in their very hands, yet they proved utterly incapable of overcoming a single Golden Crow?
"There were once whispers that the third Golden Crow was the strongest among them. It appears those rumors were the absolute truth!"
Several Experts recalled the old tales; they had originally dismissed them as mere legend, never expecting to witness the reality with their own eyes.
"This... how is this even possible?" The East King Duke's face was a mask of shock and suspicion, finding the situation fundamentally unacceptable.
Did the Queen Mother of the West hold back her strength just now?
He could not help but doubt her; it was far too bizarre that the two of them, acting in unison, would be unable to suppress Ling Xiao!
"Attack together! Every soul, join forces to strike down this Golden Crow!"
The East King Duke shouted in a fit of rage, commanding his vast array of subordinates to strike as one. From the dragon-head crutch in his grip, a torrent of golden light gushed forth, saturated with a supreme and crushing Divine Power.
"You are merely seeking your own death."
Ling Xiao spoke with a chilling indifference. His eyes transformed, becoming incredibly terrifying—like two abyssal black holes where dying stars collapsed into nothingness!
In that moment, he projected an extremely terrifying Aura, appearing as if he could command mountains to crumble and seas to run dry with a mere glance!
With one look across the Great Desolation, the order of mountains and rivers was overturned!
With the Hongmeng Cauldron anchored above his head, he took a deliberate step forward. It was as if a Grandmist Great World was pressing down from the firmament; his magic power was boundless and beyond all measure.
Boom!
Heaven and earth shuddered violently, and the entire East Sea began to boil. Under the sheer Divine Might of that single step, every Expert standing behind the East King Duke exploded into mist, their remains falling into the vast, churning ocean.
Even the East King Duke and the Queen Mother of the West looked grim. Under this mounting pressure, their physical forms trembled and their blood surged violently, pushing them to the very edge of their endurance.
"Ling Xiao! Do you actually intend to humiliate us? Do not forget that the Head of the Male Immortals and the Head of the Female Immortals were personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor himself!"
The East King Duke shouted in a frenzy, the Supreme Yang Immortal Light gushing from his pores to shatter the invisible shackles tightening around his body.
"Head of the Male Immortals? And who might this male immortal be? Do I know him?" Ling Xiao raised a hand and pointed a single finger, sending the Hongmeng Cauldron flying outward. Within the vessel, an immeasurable Grandmist world began to evolve, pressing down directly toward the East King Duke's head.
Rumble!
The East King Duke's expression shifted as he raised his dragon-head crutch to counter the blow, but the artifact in his hand rapidly grew dim and lost its luster under the cauldron's weight.
Bang!
His entire body shook with a sickening force; it felt as though the weight of countless stacked worlds was bearing down upon his skull. Finally, he could no longer resist; he was forced to kneel within the Void Realm, his body imprisoned by the Space Law. Ling Xiao had specially forged a pocket of space just for his descent.
Beneath the East King Duke's feet, the spatial barrier was forged with incredible firmness, making it impossible for him to fall into the sea even if he wished to escape the shame.
"Ah...!"
The East King Duke let out a strangled roar, his entire being feeling as if it were about to be crushed into infinitesimal pieces.
The surrounding Experts were frozen in stunned silence. Ling Xiao was actually treating the Head of the Male Immortals in such a manner, without leaving him even a shred of dignity or face.
This display allowed them to see the true, yawning gap in their strength. Regardless of the circumstances, the East King Duke was a Quasi-Saint, yet to be toyed with by Ling Xiao like a mere puppet was simply inconceivable.
"Hm?"
Ling Xiao's gaze shifted as he noticed the Three Pure Ones rapidly closing in on the Grand Void Mirror.
In that moment, they had found a rare opening; with no opponents left to bar their path, they intended to seize the Grand Void Mirror for themselves.
Ling Xiao beckoned with his hand, and the Hongmeng Cauldron returned to his grasp. With a casual wave, he blasted the East King Duke and the Queen Mother of the West into the endless depths of the sea, their ultimate fate unknown to the watchers.
Then, he took a single step forward. Heaven and earth shifted around him, time seemed to fly, and his silhouette became ethereal and ghostly.
In the next heartbeat, he appeared in the vast reaches of deep space, blocking the path of Lao Tzu, Yuan Shi, and Tong Tian.
Ling Xiao stood there like a scorching sun hung in the center of the sky, his presence pressuring the entirety of the Three Immortals Island.
"Ling Xiao! Do you truly believe you can stop the three of us alone?"
Yuan Shi shouted sternly, the Pangu Banner in his hand vibrating and shattering the surrounding Void Realm with a vast, destructive Divine Might.
"Step aside. The Grand Void Mirror belongs to none other than the three of us." Lao Tzu held the Taiji Diagram in his hand, his expression one of solemn authority.
Ling Xiao's face remained cold and utterly unmoved. "Did you not wish to determine who among us is superior? The time is now."
"Bastard! You truly wish to fight the three of us by yourself?" Yuan Shi laughed in a state of extreme, insulted rage; his arrogant soul could not endure such blatant contempt.
"And who said he was alone? We are here as well!"
At that moment, two streaks of brilliant golden light flashed into the battlefield as the figures of Dijun and Tai Yi manifested.
"You..."
Yuan Shi's expression froze as he glanced back, searching for the Two Sages of the West whom they had expected to delay the brothers.
"Stop looking for them. How could those two old geezers possibly be a match for us?" Tai Yi saw through Yuan Shi's intention and spoke with a sharp, mocking smile.
As those words echoed, the faces of the Three Pure Ones soured.
The reason was simple: they felt that the Two Sages of the West were utterly useless—unworthy of being called fellow Disciples under the Dao Ancestor.
They couldn't even manage to delay two Golden Crows.
Of what possible use were they?
"In that case, it is for the better. Today we shall obtain the treasure and determine once and for all who is superior, accomplishing both goals in a single stroke!" Yuan Shi temporarily pushed aside his prejudice against the Westerners and spoke with a soaring ambition.
"That is exactly what we intended to say!" Dijun replied coldly, refusing to be outdone by the Sanqing's pride.
For a moment, an immeasurable, suffocating Killing Intent surged between the Three Pure Ones and the Three Crows. Every observer held their breath, waiting for the start of this world-shaking, peerless confrontation!
Buzz—Boom!
Following a series of massive, initial collisions, the Three Crows and the Three Pure Ones engaged in a full-scale battle. They operated with a great, unspoken tacit understanding: Ling Xiao took on Lao Tzu, Tai Yi faced Yuan Shi, and Dijun moved against Tong Tian.
Dijun and Tai Yi were well aware that Lao Tzu was the most formidable among the Three Pure Ones, so they did not attempt to show off; they naturally left the eldest brother to their strongest third brother.
With the Hongmeng Cauldron hovering above his head, Ling Xiao wielded lightning techniques in one hand and the flow of time in the other. Thunder rumbled across the void, Chaos Qi surged in violent tides, and brilliant bolts of lightning flew through the air. Each arc spanned the Nine Heavens and was incredibly long, shocking every living being that looked upon them.
Lao Tzu stood atop the Taiji Diagram, his power stabilizing the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind while regulating the cosmic Yin and Yang. Wherever he stood, he appeared utterly invincible.
From the very first exchange, Ling Xiao could feel the weight of it: Lao Tzu's magic power was stronger than that of the East King Duke and the Queen Mother of the West combined. He was undoubtedly the strongest individual currently in existence, second only to Ling Xiao himself.
Coupled with an Innate Supreme Treasure, Ling Xiao knew that even if his own magic power surpassed Lao Tzu's, it would be difficult to secure a victory in a short time—unless he summoned his true body to crush the elder with absolute, overwhelming strength.
Overall, the enhancement provided by an Innate Supreme Treasure was too profound; it was a completely different league compared to an ordinary Innate Spirit Treasure.
Unless one's Realm was significantly higher, allowing for a crushing victory through raw power, the treasure often decided the outcome.
Fortunately, Ling Xiao also possessed an Innate Supreme Treasure.
A peerless warrior paired with a peerless treasure!
Thud!
The Hongmeng Cauldron began to gush with Primordial Chaos Qi, every single wisp of the essence possessing an immense Divine Might. It spun incessantly, its bronze body flowing with a divine radiance.
Pressing down against the Taiji Diagram, the cauldron swallowed and spat the very essence of heaven and earth, possessing the latent ability to refine the entire universe. The stars in the vast deep space dimmed continuously as the vessel drew breath.
Across the Three Immortals Island, all living beings gasped in unison. Whether they were Grand Unity Golden Immortals or high-ranking Quasi-Saints, they all felt a primal terror.
They recognized the Taiji Diagram in the Void Realm as an Innate Supreme Treasure, but they had not expected Ling Xiao's cauldron to be so extraordinary. Swallowing Primordial Chaos Qi and evolving a miniature reflection of the Grandmist world, its Divine Might was actually not a shred inferior to the Taiji Diagram itself.
The pressure it exerted was grand and world-surpassing.
They knew that if they were struck by such a force, they would be heavily injured if not killed outright—much like the East King Duke, who had yet to emerge from the sea, his ultimate fate still a mystery.
"Is that also an Innate Supreme Treasure?" they questioned, watching the Hongmeng Cauldron with eyes full of envy—though it was an envy tempered by fear, as none dared to harbor a single improper thought.
Rumble...
The Hongmeng Cauldron began to suppress the Taiji Diagram. With every move Ling Xiao made, he transcended the limits of time, evolving multiple Laws with an unparalleled offensive power. Lao Tzu was forced to summon the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda for added protection, yet he was still sent hurtling backward by a punch from Ling Xiao that carried the weight of the Extreme Realm of Strength.
Lao Tzu's expression changed drastically, his scholarly calm finally shattering into pieces.