Chen Xu withdrew his gaze from the Mother of Hell. Stepping through a spatial gate, he arrived in the Dao layer of this world.
Hiding in the shadows, his gaze repeatedly swept over the various Dao Lords on the battlefield.
Every time the Lord of Heaven attacked, his killing intent was completely undisguised. If it weren't for the Saint Light radiating from his body, it would be impossible to believe that he was a God-Lord who delivered all living beings.
Such pure killing intent caused Chen Xu's thoughts to grow muddled.
This pure killing intent introduced a contradiction into his deduction.
If the Lord of Heaven was the Great Sage, or was related to him in an alliance, then he shouldn't possess such killing intent.
How could a sage who pursued truth allow a research project that had cost vast amounts of time and energy to end so abruptly?
A living experimental subject was always more useful than a dead one. Only the most incompetent researchers would treat their subjects as single-use items.
Chen Xu did not believe the Great Sage would be so incompetent.
In that case, if it wasn't the Lord of Heaven, who was the Great Sage?
It was impossible for him to be absent from such a grand stage.
Chen Xu's gaze continuously swept over the other Dao Lords. He carefully observed their every move, their attacks, their expressions, and even their souls.
Chen Xu made no effort to hide his scrutiny. However, in the heat of such intense battle, the Dao Lords only felt a brief moment of confusion and did not try to stop him.
They simply assumed that the mysterious Lord of the Undead was preparing some sort of powerful ultimate move.
The situation on the battlefield changed in the blink of an eye. After transforming, the Mother of Hell erupted with immense combat power.
The Dao of Blankness on her abdomen granted her formidable defensive capabilities. This domineering Dao of Blankness rejected and bullied all other Dao principles equally.
The character for 'One' on the Mother of Hell's forehead had grown dim and was on the verge of vanishing.
And the techniques unleashed by the Dao Lords were weakened by a margin out of thin air by the Dao of Blankness before they could even touch her.
Though the quality of their attacks was diminished, the sheer quantity remained. Facing the onslaught of dozens of Dao Lords, with the Lord of Heaven as the primary attacker delivering lethal blow after blow, the Mother of Hell's condition deteriorated rapidly.
The Mother of Hell was highly unaccustomed to fighting without the world authority. Previously, as long as she stood within Hell, the world authority would provide her with endless power.
At the same time, the Corruption Dao principles within the world would ruthlessly suppress the breathing room of all other Dao principles under her command, rendering them unable to function.
But now, with the Lord of Heaven putting everything on the line and the interference of a meddler like Chen Xu, she had lost her greatest reliance.
“Roar!”
Before long, the Mother of Hell let out another roar as a hideous sword scar tore down from her head all the way to her left leg.
This sword scar was not inflicted by the Lord of Heaven, but by the combined sword strike of the siblings, Huangtian and Qingming.
The Mother of Hell repeatedly raised her hands to block the various techniques unleashed by the Dao Lords while monitoring her own condition.
No, if this keeps up, I will truly perish here.
Thus, the Mother of Hell activated the Dao of Blankness in her abdomen, triggering a pure white explosion that blew back all the Dao Lords and their techniques.
Seizing this opening, the Mother of Hell's eyes glowed crimson once more, and tiny beads of blood seeped from her left hand and the two eye sockets on her chest.
Outside the world, in the cosmic void, the seven surviving Hell Demon Kings and over a thousand Hell Archdukes all exploded violently at this exact moment.
The demonic blood mist gathered into countless trickles, flying toward the Mother of Hell.
Within the essence blood transformed from the Demon Kings of Fear, Torment, and Pain, a strange light flickered.
“Not good! Stop her!” the Lord of Heaven shouted, thrusting his hand forward with a blast of Saint Light in an attempt to incinerate the converging demonic blood.
However, the streams of blood were incredibly agile, darting left and right in the air to easily dodge the straight beam of Saint Light.
Just as the other Dao Lords were about to act, the Mother of Hell unleashed the Dao of Blankness once more, blowing them back again.
Ultimately, the demonic blood merged into the Mother of Hell's body. Her injuries healed instantly; the sword scar vanished, and all traces of fist and palm prints disappeared.
What was even more terrifying was that the souls of the three Demon Kings—Fear, Torment, and Pain—entered the Mother of Hell's left chest socket, right chest socket, and left hand respectively.
The Mother of Hell's soul became whole at this moment, and a terrifying aura swept across the entire battlefield.
“I have returned!!!”
The Mother of Hell let out a shrill shriek that struck chill into the hearts of everyone present.
For within this shriek, they could not detect even a shred of sanity—only endless madness.
The current Mother of Hell had reverted to her state before she severed her Three Corpses.
She was far more powerful, and far more insane.
Seeing this, the Hunyuan Dao Lord and the Black Tortoise Dao Lord gasped, exchanging a tense look.
This state of the Mother of Hell was exactly like the one they had faced all those years ago.
“Old Daoist Hunyuan, let's use that move directly. This demon's condition gives me a highly ominous feeling.”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord nodded, agreeing with the Black Tortoise's suggestion.
However, the frenzied Mother of Hell gave them no time to prepare.
In the next instant, she vanished from her spot, transforming into a gust of bloody wind that swept all the Dao Lords inward.
Within the gale, a corrupting aura spread, constantly eroding the bodies of the Dao Lords. Sharp claws flashed repeatedly, leaving deep gashes on their flesh.
Right at that moment, the Yin-Yang Dao Lord, Li Taiji, calculated the perfect timing and struck with a Yin-Yang Soul-Splitting Palm, hitting the Mother of Hell squarely between her brows.
With one Yin and one Yang, her soul shuddered, temporarily stripping the Mother of Hell of her bodily control.
The Black Tortoise Dao Lord seized the opportunity. Bursting with speed completely unbefitting his massive size, he appeared directly above the Mother of Hell.
His short tail curled to point at the Mother of Hell's head, while his upper body assumed a profound stance.
“Abyssal water manifest, all things sink, eternal slumber.”
Vast amounts of black abyssal water flowed from the cracks of the Black Tortoise's shell, running down his tail and pouring over the Mother of Hell's head.
The Dao principles contained within the abyssal water carried the concepts of sealing and deep slumber.
The Mother of Hell's soul was already restrained, and now, drenched in the abyssal water, her consciousness grew even more dazed.
Then, a fly-whisk swept forward, carrying the profound power of Hunyuan.
Using his fly-whisk as a brush, the demon body as paper, and Dao principles as ink, the Hunyuan Dao Lord covered the Mother of Hell's body in wondrous glyphs.
The accumulation of these various sealing powers triggered an instinctive resistance from the Mother of Hell's physical body.
After all, the physical body was a path that demons took immense pride in.
Terrifying physical power erupted from within the Mother of Hell as she tried to shatter her shackles and break free of the control.
Right then, with a sharp crack, a massive hand stained with specks of crimson descended from the heavens, pinning the Mother of Hell's head down firmly. It was the Extreme Martial Dao Lord.
A silent confrontation unfolded between the two—a pure contest of strength.
With the forces of the Immortal, Martial, and Yokai paths combined, they managed to establish a temporary equilibrium against the Mother of Hell.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Heaven was silently gathering his power. Saint Light principles continuously condensed within the greatsword in his hands, directing an unadulterated killing intent straight at the Mother of Hell.
“Hunyuan, how much longer for your Wondrous Brush?”
“Almost done! Just one last character!”
The Hunyuan Dao Lord replied reflexively, his fly-whisk swiftly tracing the final stroke.
“It is done! Wait!”
Suddenly, the Hunyuan Dao Lord realized that the one who had just called out to him seemed to be the Lord of Heaven.
How did he know my technique is called the Wondrous Brush?
The Hunyuan Dao Lord turned his head toward the Lord of Heaven, only to see a sword—a greatsword of concentrated Saint Light, a blade destined to kill.
Splat!
The Holy Light Greatsword pierced through the back of the Mother of Hell's head and exited from her forehead, skewering her soul.
At the same time, it pierced through the Corruption Dao principles inside her body.
“Ugh... ah...”
The Mother of Hell opened her mouth, trying to speak, but could only let out unintelligible groans.
Those of the Unique Rank commanded Dao principles; they lived with them and died with them.
The Hunyuan Dao Lord's Wondrous Brush isolated the Mother of Hell from the outside world, preventing her from resonating with the external Corruption Dao principles.
Under these circumstances, they only needed to obliterate the Dao principles and soul within her body to completely put an end to this demon that had ravaged the myriad worlds.
And this final step was executed by the Lord of Heaven.
He did it so flawlessly that a chill could not help but creep into the Hunyuan Dao Lord's heart.
When the Holy Light Greatsword plunged into the Mother of Hell, a certain gaze caught Chen Xu's attention.
Chen Xu stood in the Dao layer, directly corresponding to the Mother of Hell's position in the material world.
This vantage point allowed him to oversee the entire battlefield, and it also enabled him to detect a peculiar gaze.
The gaze originated from the Heavenly Expeditionary Force.
“The Wisdom Priest, or... the Great Sage?”
Chen Xu narrowed his eyes, looking toward the source of that gaze.
Then, in the next instant, the hairs on Chen Xu's neck stood on end and his pupils dilated. The Wisdom Priest was looking directly back at him.
Their gazes collided. The Wisdom Priest wore a faint smile and made a gesture.
This gesture was one Chen Xu had seen not long ago. It was the exact same movement made by the Sage Black Knight after solidifying his identity template—identical down to the finest detail.
But a sudden wave of gasps quickly pulled Chen Xu's attention away.
The Lord of Heaven had already withdrawn his Holy Light Greatsword, and the Mother of Hell's physical body collapsed straight down.
Not a single trace of her soul or corruption remained within her.
Yet, just as the Dao Lords breathed a sigh of relief, the Mother of Hell's body began to undergo another transformation.
Her lower limbs and tail retracted upward, and her torso bloated and swelled.
Her head caved inward, and her hands puffed up in similar fashion.
Within a few short seconds, the Mother of Hell transformed from a demon into a suit of clothing—or rather, a set of battle armor.
Upon the armor were five holes, located in positions corresponding to her previous form: two on the chest, two on the arms, and one on the abdomen.
The one on the abdomen was already filled with a white gemstone.
Seeing this bizarre scene, the Hunyuan Dao Lord's heart, which had just settled, leaped back into his throat.
The Hunyuan Dao Lord stiffly turned his head to look at the Lord of Heaven.
“Your Excellency, Lord of Heaven, might I ask how you knew the technique I just used is called the Wondrous Brush?”
The Lord of Heaven's face was also filled with confusion and unease. It seemed the sight before them did not align with his expectations.
He had no intention of avoiding the Hunyuan Dao Lord's question, so he opened his mouth to reply.
“It was...”
“Naturally, I was the one who told him, Hunyuan Immortal.”
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