"Mountain Master, the disciples can't hold on any longer, shall we retreat?"

"No, if we retreat, this place will fall completely. Hold on for another quarter of an hour until the formation is complete!"

"Alright, let's give it another try!"

On the outskirts of the Eastern Crimson Flame Desert, the disciples of Suixu Mountain, led by their respective mountain lords, blocked the monsters emerging from the depths of the desert.

After they joined forces with Yuehua and Baixuan, they also gathered many small sects and independent cultivators, dividing themselves into three groups.

Bai Xuan led the group to block the boundary between the swamp and the Crimson Flame Desert. Countless large, gibbon-like monsters had appeared there, capable of speaking human language and emitting a mist that easily ensnared disciples with lower cultivation levels. Losing their fighting ability was a minor consequence; the infighting among them would only worsen the situation. Bai Xuan, being a celestial being, could use his immortal power to block the mist, enhancing the disciples' combat strength, and also to kill smaller monsters like the illusionary butterflies that occasionally appeared.

With so many monsters, Bai Xuan couldn't possibly handle it all by himself without the help of everyone.

Yuehua led a group of people to Luoyan Peak. This place was right next to Huaxi Mountain. Originally, thanks to the barrier, these creatures couldn't get close at all, but some black insects that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere were now swarming, seemingly capable of devouring spiritual energy. The small river that had been blasted was now teeming with these strange aquatic insects, which not only devoured cultivators but also other monsters. With each insect they consumed, the river swelled, repelling the spiritual energy above it. Ordinary cultivators were powerless against them; only Yuehua's immortal power could help.

Besides these, the arthropods and beetles flying around are the most troublesome. Once they come into contact with a cultivator's body, they will quickly lay their eggs inside, rendering the cultivator unable to fight, and may even turn around and attack their own kind.

There were countless strange and varied monsters all around, with all sorts of attack powers. Without Yuehua's presence, these cultivators probably wouldn't last even half a day.

The situation is slightly better in the Crimson Desert, where most of the creatures that emerge are black spirit-eating insects, and they do not have wings.

Even so, the sheer number is staggering.

The mountain lords formed a defensive formation, but it was breached in less than half an hour. The group dared not use their spiritual energy recklessly, relying entirely on hand-to-hand combat or setting traps, but even they could not hold out for long.

The Crimson Desert was at its hottest, spewing out scorching lava from time to time. The people had to use their spiritual power to resist the heat while also preventing themselves from being sucked in by the spirit-eating insects. It was extremely difficult, and many disciples had already sacrificed themselves. Some of them couldn't bear it anymore, but there was nothing they could do.

Sui Xushan.

The porcelain bottle in the purple-robed immortal's hand gradually turned blackish-red, while the deathly aura and crimson evil energy at the bottom of the pit continued to surge outwards.

The giant sword pierced about ten feet deep before stopping. Within the giant beast, there seemed to be a force resisting the sword, and it appeared to be only the tip of the iceberg!

"Immortal Venerable..." Among the eight lake lords, the weakest of them had only uttered two words when blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his face turned pale, and his body swayed precariously.

To maintain the formation, he had exhausted his spiritual energy and could not hold on for much longer.

He shouted this not because he was afraid of death and unwilling to maintain the formation, but because he was afraid that if he fell, everyone's hard work would be ruined and Ziyi's plan would fail.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yi put away the jade bottle, and a pagoda-shaped magical artifact that had been surrounding her slowly flew to the lake lord's side. Spiritual energy flowed around it, gradually emanating from the top of the pagoda and seeping into his body to help him circulate his spiritual power.

At the same time, the purple-robed immortal body shone with golden light, and a net woven from immortal power tightened around the giant sword from top to bottom, closing in on the bottom of the pit.

The giant beast let out a strange roar, and blackish-green liquid instantly gushed from its head, corroding the surrounding soil.

With a wave of his hand, the woman in purple sent another bottle-shaped magical artifact flying towards the bottom of the pit.

Then, wisps of white mist, almost tangible, seeped into the bottom of the pit like liquid, gradually sinking down along the gaps between the giant beast and the soil.

Where the mist passed, the erosion ceased, while the monsters began to struggle desperately, seemingly terrified of it.

The lake lords who were maintaining the formation were immediately invigorated.

As the fog deepened, the man in purple's expression grew serious.

The giant beast at the bottom of the pit seemed to be struggling the whole time, without any intention of resisting, which was very strange.

The fog was finite, but the behemoth's erosion of the surrounding soil seemed to have begun again.

With the aid of divine power, the giant sword pressed down once more.

Less than half a meter away, there was no further movement. At the same time, a strong smell of blood rose into the sky, instantly overturning the surrounding magical artifacts. The figures of the lake lords swayed from side to side, and the formation was on the verge of collapse.

"You beast, you actually know how to hide your strength!" The purple-clad figure swayed, instantly stabilizing himself. He flipped his hand, revealing a golden pill, and shot it downwards without hesitation.

"Immortal Venerable, no!"

The lake lords were too late to stop it and could only watch helplessly as the woman in purple transformed into a streak of light, flying into the giant beast's eye along with the golden pill.

The immortal stood in mid-air, simultaneously drawing his giant sword, which transformed into a ray of golden light and entered the sword's body.

The giant sword grew larger again, exuding immense power and unparalleled sharpness. With a single point towards the sky, the winds and clouds in the world changed color, and countless spiritual energies were instantly absorbed, solidifying the giant sword once more as it pierced into the ground.

The commotion was so great that those fighting the monster at the front were immediately filled with fear.

Bai Xuan stared at this scene, utterly shocked. He never expected that Zi Yi would be so resolute.

Yuehua was so shocked that she couldn't react for a long time. Then she muttered to herself in disbelief, "Impossible, he wouldn't do it, he definitely wouldn't!"

At the site of the miracle, Xiang Wan's hand, which was touching the red ball, suddenly paused. She raised her hand and noticed a few strands of hair on her fingertips. A sense of unease flashed through her heart, and she stood up in a daze, staring ahead with a hint of confusion in her mind.

The purple-clad figure, now inside the giant beast's belly, shimmered with a faint golden light, isolating itself from the surrounding deathly and evil aura. Following the golden core, it fell into the darkness.

thump!

The woman in purple turned around, hovering in mid-air, gazing in a certain direction.

thump!

Another sound, seemingly coming from behind.

Thump! Thump!

This sound came from all directions!

"呲安——"

A tremendous roar, from bottom to top.

An even stronger, fishy wind surged upwards, and as the woman in purple dodged left and right, an extremely dazzling light came from above.

"...Help me!"

"...Ten million years should be enough..."

"Cultivating immortality...why..."

"Kill me! Kill me!"

"They're all ants; if they live, why should I die?"

"god?!!!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

All around were sounds—resentment, hatred, doubt, and sighs—that enveloped the woman in purple, making it hard to breathe.

A black chain approached silently, trying to drag the woman in purple down into the abyss.

"Without desire or want, without mind or self, all is illusion, all sounds are silent, break through!"

The light reached overhead, instantly illuminating the surroundings.

With her feet touching the ground, Zi Yi looked down at her feet and around, her brows furrowing deeply.