I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Fang Tianheng's brows furrowed even deeper.

His gaze passed over the slowly healing monster and landed on the surging spiritual light in the distance.

There, Qin Wudao's aura was rising at an irreversible speed, and the originally blurry outline was becoming clearer and clearer, more and more solid.

He understood that this monster had only one purpose from beginning to end: to hold him back until Qin Wudao completed his breakthrough.

Faxiang raised the giant sword again, the golden light on the sword even more intense than before. The seal script characters lit up one by one on the sword like talismans being ignited, turning the entire sky into a flowing gold.

The first sword.

The Dharma Image's giant sword slashed horizontally, carrying a golden arc of light tens of feet long, cutting a clean rift in the air. The silver light at the edge of the rift was like a frozen lightning bolt, unable to heal for a long time.

The monster raised its left arm, blocking the giant shield that was ten zhang wide in front of it.

The array patterns on the shield surface lit up simultaneously, and the dark red light intertwined on the shield surface to form a flowing curtain of light.

The light blade struck the shield, producing a thunderous roar.

The light screen on the shield trembled violently. The array patterns were peeled off, shattered, and dissipated layer by layer in the golden light, but more array patterns surged out from the depths of the shield, filling the torn gaps.

A deep crack appeared on the surface of the shield, extending from the top to the middle, like a wound slashed by a branding iron, with tiny golden sparks still rising from its edges.

But the crack did not penetrate the entire shield; it stopped at two-thirds of the way through, blocked by a layer of dark red aura, like a stitched wound slowly closing up.

The second sword strike.

The Dharma Image's sword stance changed, from a horizontal slash to a straight thrust. The tip of the sword condensed into a ball of light that looked like a solid object, precisely piercing the core of the monster's chest, the surging dark red ball of light.

This sword strike had no residual force; all the power was compressed to the tip of the sword, penetrating the dark red barrier in the most concentrated way.

The tip of the sword pressed against the blade of the battle sword that was immediately raised.

The seal script on the sword tip, like letters on fire, lit up one by one at the point of contact, scorching a thumb-thick dent into the blade.

The dents deepened and expanded, like melting ice, but the monster did not retreat. It simply poured more dark red spiritual light into the battle blade. The soul power surging from its core was like blood being constantly pumped in, filling and reinforcing the blade's edge layer by layer.

The sword tip finally stopped seven feet from the core, unable to advance any further.

The third sword strike.

Fang Tianheng's patience was running out. He suddenly raised the giant sword of the Dharma Image, and the golden light on the sword surged, like a rising sun, illuminating the entire sky.

This sword strike no longer pursues precision or penetration, but instead strikes down from above in the most direct and unreasonable way.

The sword, imbued with immense power, slashed down diagonally along the monster's left shoulder like a golden waterfall descending from the sky.

The sword's edge sliced ​​into the edge of the shield, into the joint of the left arm, and into the armor plate of the shoulder. Golden light exploded in the gaps between the seams, simultaneously burning, tearing, and melting countless array patterns.

The sword cleaved a three-foot-deep gash in the monster's left arm, from which dark red spiritual light surged forth, like blood from a severed artery, spraying into tiny specks of light in the night sky.

But those points of light did not fall. They hovered in mid-air, drawn by the dark red aura, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, slowly flowing back into the crack, filling and mending it.

The fourth sword, the fifth sword, the sixth sword... the Dharma Image's giant sword fell again and again, leaving deep cracks on the monster's body, but each crack slowly healed in the dark red spiritual light.

The gaps between the pieces were constantly torn open and stitched back together, the array patterns were constantly broken and reconnected, and the monster was like a container that could never be completely broken, using its shattering body to block every advance of the golden light.

Its left shield was covered with crisscrossing cracks, and the light on the shield had dimmed considerably, yet it continued to raise, to defend, and to close again in the next instant after being cleaved open.

Its right arm blade was bent in several places, but it was still held in its hand, and with each swing it deflected, deflected and weakened the golden light.

At its chest, the dark red ball of light was throbbing violently, like a heart being repeatedly squeezed. Each contraction pushed more soul power toward the shattering limbs, and each expansion reconnected the burned array patterns.

Fang Tianheng's expression grew increasingly grim.

Each sword strike consumed his spiritual power, each sword strike pushed the monster's body closer to the brink of shattering, yet after each sword strike, the monster remained standing.

The dark red spiritual light, as if injected with new fuel, was continuously pouring into the core of that towering pillar of light, relighting the burned spiritual paths and fusing the split joints back together.

Fang Tianheng's gaze passed over the monster that was slowly shattering and slowly healing, and landed on the surging spiritual light in the distance.

Qin Wudao's aura was rising, and the originally blurry barrier was becoming clearer and more solid. The outline of the barrier that was about to transform into a projection of the law was already faintly visible.

His brows finally furrowed, and his grip on the sword tightened very slightly.

He raised the greatsword of Dharma Image once more, and the golden light on the sword was like a spark being ignited, surging, rising, and exploding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Seventh Sword!

This sword strike carried all his strength and will, without reservation, with no retreat.

The golden giant blade, like a golden lightning bolt compressed to its limit, cleaved straight towards the core of the monster's chest.

Wherever the sword passed, the dark red spiritual light was neatly sliced ​​in the middle, like water split by a blade, surging, collapsing, and evaporating on both sides of the sword.

The sword tip pierced the dark red ball of light, cutting into the core of those soul powers. Golden light and dark red spiritual light exploded at the point of contact, like a ignited star, dyeing the entire sky a flowing gold and red.

The monster's body suddenly froze.

The cracks that were healing stopped contracting at the same instant, the array patterns that were repairing stopped flowing at the same instant, and the dark red flames in the empty eye sockets began to tremble violently, like candle flames being blown out by a hurricane.

On its chest, the dark red ball of light was spreading outwards with golden cracks, which, like ice that had been burned through, were tearing the soul power into countless tiny fragments.

But it did not fall.

The fragments did not fall; they were drawn by the dark red aura, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, remaining suspended on its surface, refusing to fall, refusing to dissipate, refusing to let this body fall completely.

The dark red light was slowly regrouping, and the fragments of souls torn apart by the golden light were being pressed back together at an increasingly slower pace.

Even though it was severely damaged, the monster could still move!

"Boom!"

Just then, a loud roar rang out, and Fang Tianheng's expression finally darkened completely.

Because above Qin Wudao, the Heavenly Tribulation had already descended. Those purple-gold lightning snakes were weaving, intertwining, and coalescing in the clouds, like coiled lightning dragons, ready to fall at any moment.

The price he would pay to stop it would be too high; if he rushed into the thundercloud when the heavenly tribulation descended, the tribulation would include him in the tribulation.

Just then, from the direction of the Xuan Kui Sect, an aura of someone breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage swept towards them.

Fang Tianheng suddenly turned his head to look in that direction!

That's right, the one who broke through at this moment is none other than Gongshu Xuanji, the sect master of the Xuankui Sect!

As an ally that cooperated with the Demon Palace of Rebellion from the very beginning, the Xuan Kui Sect is not a charity.

Their aim was also to break the Fang family's monopoly and allow their own family to possess Nascent Soul cultivators.

Currently, most of the Fang family's forces have been dispatched abroad, while the remaining mid-level forces have gathered at the Reverse Fate Demon Palace. The high-level Nascent Soul cultivators have been attracted by Qin Wudao, and now is the best time for him to break through.

This is undoubtedly a multiple-choice question.

Whom will your family choose?

Should they stop Qin Wudao, who is already undergoing the tribulation of lightning, or stop Gongshu Xuanji, who has just begun his breakthrough?

To stop Qin Wudao, one must brave the heavenly tribulation; even if successful, one will be severely injured by the lightning tribulation.

To stop Gongshu Xuanji, Qin Wudao must be allowed to complete his breakthrough.

No matter which one you choose, the other will cross that threshold without any interference.

In this round, the Fang family has already lost.

Regardless of which one succeeds in breaking through, they can both become an asset to the other's breakthrough in the future.

Realizing this, Fang Tianheng stopped paying attention to the monster, turned around and transformed into a golden ray of light, rushing towards the Xuan Kui Sect in the eastern section of Black Wind Ridge.

The golden light left a long trail in the night sky, like a shooting star moving away, quickly shrinking, fading, and disappearing on the southeastern horizon.

Gu Chaoxi, who was hiding to the side, was stunned.

He thought he was doomed. With his Golden Core cultivation, he was less than an ant in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator. That golden light could easily sweep him away and he would disappear completely from the world.

But to his surprise, the other party completely ignored him, as if he were someone not worth even a second glance.

Just as he was about to try to repair his masterpiece that was about to collapse, a golden light descended from the sky.

The next moment, Gu Chaoxi was completely gone.

Only a wisp of extremely thin smoke lingered in place for a moment before being completely dispersed by the night wind, as if this person had never existed.

The monster remained standing in the same spot, but its condition was deteriorating at a visible rate.

The dark red aura had stopped surging and was now fading, thinning, and darkening layer by layer, like a flame that had been drained of fuel.

Fine cracks began to appear in the seams between the pieces, spreading outwards from the joints, like a net being torn apart, gradually widening, deepening, and breaking apart.

This monster won't last much longer.

Its soul power was being consumed at an extremely rapid pace, and the fragments of soul torn apart by the golden light no longer had much soul power left to reassemble.

The monster was hit too hard just now, and it will soon disintegrate into a pile of scrap metal and ashes.

But some people don't want it to fall.

…………

Inside the temporary command post at Shattered Star Lake, the Lin family witnessed everything.

Lin Xuanfeng stood in front of the array plate, his gaze fixed on the flickering points of spiritual light on the projection array plate.

His fingers moved quickly along the edge of the array plate, importing, comparing, and confirming the inscriptions one by one.

A moment later, he raised his head, his voice steady yet tinged with excitement: "That monster has lost its controller, and its soul power is rapidly dissipating. At the current rate, it will completely collapse in no more than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. If we don't act now, we will never have another chance."

"Just as we expected, it's time!" Lin Xuanqing's slightly excited voice came from the other side. Her gaze was also on the projection array plate, and her fingertips traced the patterns in the void, marking the direction of the array one by one.

Everyone was equally excited.

The situation was exactly as they had predicted.

The Demon Palace of Rebellion and the Mysterious Puppet Sect have truly created a monster!

If the Lin family can gain control of this monster, they will have a real trump card in the Southern Region.

Once the Lin family becomes independent, it will possess the power to truly change the landscape of the Southern Region!

Even without using it, it can deter all other forces in the Southern Region, giving the Lin family a true backing.

The jade piece that Lin Xuanqing buried in the Blood Fiend Soul Refining Array, and the modifications that Lin Xuanfeng and Tie Wushuang made to the core of the war puppet—they had been preparing for this moment since the first day they learned of this plan. All the waiting, all the calculations, and all the foreshadowing were all for the purpose of taking over the monster when it lost its controller.

"Begin!" Lin Che's voice came from behind the array plate.

Lin Xuanfeng infused his spiritual power into the array plate, and the spiritual paths he had previously left deep within the core of the war puppet were activated at the same moment.

A very thin and faint cyan aura advanced along the newly carved lines, like a slender snake moving through the darkness, approaching the crumbling core at top speed.

At the same moment, Lin Xuanqing activated the jade piece she had buried in the Blood Fiend Soul Refining Array.

The jade piece, as thin as a cicada's wing, exploded within the layers of the array patterns, transforming into a reverse beam of spiritual light. It forcibly redirected the soul power that was converging towards the core, like using a sluice gate to cut off a tide flowing in the same direction, guiding the scattered soul fragments into the spiritual path pre-designed by Lin Xuanfeng.

The monster suddenly paused.

The cracks that were breaking apart stopped spreading at the same instant.

The dissipating dark red aura stopped dissolving at the same instant.

The dark red flames that were dying down in the monster's empty eye sockets suddenly flickered back to life...