I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

On the battlefield of the Immortal Alliance army.

The Yinquan Sect Master was summoning twelve corpse demons and bombarding the Thousand Mountains Locking Formation with great gusto.

Suddenly, the communication jade slip in his sleeve began to tremble violently.

He took it out and looked at it, and his expression changed drastically.

"Damn it!! Those three scoundrels from the Immortal Alliance actually dared to invade my Yinquan Sect!!" He roared, his aura surging wildly. "How dare they—how dare they!!"

"Our ancestor is at a crucial moment in fusing with the laws... No, I must return!"

He abruptly stopped his practice and turned to look at the white-haired elder not far away.

"Elder Nie!" he gritted his teeth, "Our sect's patriarch is on the verge of death, I must return! This place—I entrust it to you!"

"Go."

The elder threw a punch without turning his head.

"If your old man dies, you've already lost half the game."

"This place, I alone am enough to conquer."

He slowly clenched his fists, his aura surging, and he unleashed a barrage of punches, like a storm, at the pale blue light barrier—

Yinquan Sect, within the mountain-protecting formation.

Seven days.

The three Dao Integration Realm experts of the Immortal Alliance joined forces to bombard the mountain-protecting array for seven whole days, leaving it riddled with holes. The array's light barrier was as thin as a cicada's wing, as if it would shatter at any moment.

During these seven days, no one in the great formation closed their eyes.

Tens of thousands of Yinquan Sect disciples took turns guarding their positions. When their spiritual energy was depleted, they gritted their teeth and replenished it; if they couldn't replenish it, they were replaced; if they couldn't replace them, they used lives to fill the gaps. The elder disciple who perished in the attack seven days ago still remained in the side hall, unburied—not because they couldn't be cared for, but because the sect leader had sent word:

"Their memorial tablets must be offered to the patriarch personally upon his return from seclusion."

So, they're all still holding on.

Reaching the bottom of the icy pool, the old man who had been sleeping for a thousand years opened his eyes.

-

At the bottom of the cold pool.

The fusion of Yin Quan Lao Zu has reached its final stage.

"Almost there...almost there..."

He sat cross-legged at the bottom of the pool, the azure patterns of law covering his entire body, extending to every inch of his skin. The wisp of law power within him was just one step away from completely merging with him.

His aura had already subtly surpassed the limits of the Void Refinement stage, and was slowly and steadily climbing towards that supreme realm.

But—no one was there to shield him from the pain.

Not a single dewdrop paved the way for him.

His fusion was the most primitive, clumsy, and dangerous method passed down from ancient times: forcibly grinding away at the soul, forcibly filling in the foundation of the Dao, and grinding away at all the vitality accumulated over thousands of years of tortoise breathing, inch by inch. With each step forward, a bit of black blood seeped from the seven orifices.

He's waited four thousand years. He can endure this final stretch.

Between heaven and earth, the rising energy grew stronger and stronger, becoming increasingly impossible to conceal.

At first, the aura was hidden beneath the protective mountain array and the thousand-mile-long earth veins, appearing and disappearing intermittently. But by the seventh day, it could no longer be hidden at all—the sky over Central Continent changed color once more, countless cultivators looked westward in horror, and even both sides of the Immortal Alliance army on the battlefield stopped fighting.

"The Yin Spring...it's the Yin Spring..."

"That old monster is almost done!"

On the battlefield, the Grand Elder's fist, which was pounding the light barrier, paused for a moment.

He looked up and glanced in the direction of Yinquan Sect, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

That old rival, whom they had fought for hundreds of years, and their ancestor who had been asleep for thousands of years, were now walking on the brink of death—if they succeeded, the Yinquan Sect would soar to new heights; if they failed, the whole thing would be lost.

The Grand Elder's feelings were complicated at this moment. If the Yinquan Sect produced two Dao Integration Realm cultivators, then the Hehuan Sect would be overshadowed in the future. Of course, the Yinquan Sect would not destroy the Hehuan Sect, because they still needed to join forces to fight against the Immortal Alliance.

Therefore, at this moment, he secretly hoped... that the sect leader could succeed!

It seems better for the sect leader to succeed than to be overshadowed by the Yinquan Sect.

-

Outside the great formation.

"Can you feel it?" Su Qingyun stood in mid-air, her eyes icy cold. "His progress... is almost complete."

"When the laws of fusion are integrated to this extent, the vital energy is released outwards and cannot be concealed—in another day or two, he will be the second person to successfully break through the gate and attain Dao."

"We can't wait any longer." Silver Bell took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Everyone, protect me!"

She formed hand seals and uttered obscure and ancient syllables.

That is not the language of Middle-earth, but the mother tongue of the sea people, a prayer that has flowed in the blood of their ancestors for 100,000 years.

From the direction of the deep sea, a distant whale's cry seemed to echo.

The next moment—a seashell, entirely azure and shimmering with starlight, slowly flew out from between Silver Bell's brows. The seashell was only the size of a palm; the instant it appeared, the spiritual energy of the entire world frantically converged upon it, and rivers, lakes, and seas within a radius of tens of thousands of miles simultaneously surged with towering waves!

The sacred artifact of the sea creatures – the Azure Sea Star Shell.

A priceless treasure left behind by the ancient sea race's Mahayana tradition. Each use diminishes its value.

Silver Bell looked at it, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes.

By her generation, the sacred artifact had been used three times by the Sea Clan. Each time, it brought the clan to the brink of annihilation. Today, was it worth it to prevent the birth of a Dao-Merging being?

she does not know.

All she knew was that if the Yinquan Sect gained another Dao Integration Realm cultivator, the balance of power in the Central Continent would completely tip in favor of the Demonic Sect.

"open!"

With a clear, silvery shout, the blue seashells suddenly opened.

A beam of azure light shot out from the shell, striking the crumbling protective array around the mountain—

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The seemingly indestructible array of light barriers was like spring snow meeting the blazing sun; silently, a gap of about ten feet in diameter was "opened" in front of that blue light.

Only one breath left.

The Azure Star Shell opened this gap, but it could only maintain it for a breath. Within that breath, neither people nor treasures could enter—this gap was a path made by an inanimate object, and living people could not step into it.

But—the attack can get in.

"Now!!" Su Qingyun roared.

He and Jiang Daoxuan made their moves almost at the same instant.

Two powerful strikes, one white and one red, crashed down from the gap towards the Yin Spring Ancestor at the bottom of the cold pool!

At the bottom of the cold pool.

The Old Ancestor of Yinquan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils shrinking sharply.

"presumptuous--!!"

He was just about to succeed in his fusion, and it was only a matter of time before he was about to achieve his goal. If these two attacks were to land on him, he would not only fail to achieve Dao, but he would also lose his life on the spot!

At the critical moment—

"Ancestor, do not panic!!"

"Set up the formation!! Protect the Ancestor!!"

Dozens of elders and hundreds of core disciples of the Yinquan Sect rushed towards the two incoming attacks like madmen. They formed a battle formation in mid-air, their spiritual energy burning and being depleted in an instant, combined with their activated trump cards, converging into a giant black shield—

"Block it—!!"

Boom!!!

The giant shield shattered.

The dozens of elders and hundreds of disciples who had formed the formation were sent flying backward like leaves swept up by a gale, spitting out blood. More than 30% of them died on the spot.

But they really did block it.

The combined full power of the two attacks was worn down by this flesh and blood battle formation, losing seventy percent of its power.

The remaining 30% fell on the shoulders of the Yin Quan Ancestor, who had hastily returned to defend.

"puff--!"

The Yin Quan Ancestor spat out a mouthful of black blood, and the law patterns around his body violently trembled. The last bit of law power that had been fused together almost collapsed on the spot.

"No--!!"

With a roar, his beard and hair stood on end, and the vitality he had accumulated over eight thousand years of tortoise breath suddenly burst into flames, forcefully pushing the wisp of law power that was about to dissipate back into his Dao foundation.

"What a...what a magnificent immortal alliance..."

He steadied his Dao foundation with all his might, his eyes blazing with fury.

"If I survive today—I will one day slaughter your entire Immortal Alliance!!"

"You think you can have another day?!" Jiang Daoxuan sneered, his aura coalescing once more. "Brother Su, let's go again! This time, let's see what he can use to stop us!"

Su Qingyun slowly raised her hand.

The two have reached the Dao, and their second attack is poised to strike.

Just then—

A streak of light streaked across the sky, carrying boundless fury and killing intent, and struck straight at the back of Su Qingyun and Jiang Daoxuan!

"Who dares to touch my Yin Quan Sect's patriarch?!"

The Yin Quan Sect Master has returned.

He had pushed his escape light to its limit, not even having time to gather protective spiritual energy, before recklessly charging into the battle. Su Qingyun dodged to the side, her brow furrowing—this madman was risking his life to get there.

That's true. The survival of the sect, the life and death of the patriarch—all rest on one person's shoulders. Anyone in that situation would go mad.

"Perfect timing!" Jiang Daoxuan was not surprised but delighted, laughing loudly, "I was afraid you wouldn't dare to come back—if I kill you, the Yinquan Sect will truly be wiped out completely!"

Several Daoists engaged in a fierce battle.

The sky has collapsed on one side.

The battle between cultivators at the Dao Integration level had already surpassed the comprehension of ordinary cultivators. A single finger pointing out carried the weight of a thousand miles of mountains and rivers; a single punch landing possessed the power to change the course of rivers. The four fought from the sky to the ground and back again, causing mountains to crumble and the earth to crack wherever they went.

The Yinquan Sect Master fought and was furious.

He had traveled too far, and his spiritual energy was already exhausted; he was only holding on by sheer willpower. Meanwhile, the three opposite him were waiting in ambush, and every move they made was deadly—Su Qingyun's jade ruler was specifically designed to cut through the protective spiritual light, Jiang Daoxuan's fists were wide and powerful, and although Yinling had retreated to the side, the Azure Sea Star Shell remained open, like an eye staring at its prey, making him dare not reveal the slightest flaw.

"Jiang Daoxuan!" he roared, bracing himself against the blow from the jade ruler, and slammed a palm towards Jiang Daoxuan's face. "When you destroyed my three affiliated sects back then, did you ever imagine this day would come!"

"I've thought about it." Jiang Daoxuan grinned maliciously and threw a punch at him. "I've thought about it—you demonic insects, even if I kill a batch, another batch will crawl out. So today, I intend to wipe you out completely!"

The two clashed violently, each retreating a hundred miles.

Silver Bell did not participate in the battle.

She retreated to a distance, clutching the Azure Star Shell, recovering her spiritual energy while keeping her eyes fixed on the direction of the icy pool—the ancestor was still alive. As long as that wisp of law hadn't dissipated, he hadn't lost yet.

However, at this most intense moment of the battle—

boom.

The whole world trembled slightly.

It's not the kind of ascension that the Old Ancestor Yinquan achieved.

It was neither an impact nor a roar.

It was a kind of... newborn stirring. Like a star that quietly lit up in an endless distance, yet was clearly reflected in the depths of the soul of every Dao-merging powerhouse.

In the midst of the fierce battle, all four of them paused for a moment.

Su Qingyun's face suddenly froze.

Jiang Daoxuan's laughter abruptly stopped.

Silver Bell turned around abruptly, her sea-blue eyes reflecting the direction of the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm—there, a pure, vast, and flawless aura was slowly rising from between heaven and earth.

That energy was perfectly balanced, with yin and yang in harmony, and it carried a quality that they were both extremely familiar with and extremely afraid of.

That is—the Way.

The newborn Harmony.

"How is that possible..."

For the first time, Su Qingyun's voice lost all its composure.

"She's still just one step away from mastering the laws... How could this be possible at this moment—"

No one answered him.

Because at the same instant, everyone "saw" it: the rising energy in the sky slowly condensed into a gigantic, yin-yang embracing phantom—

Between the illusory figure's eyebrows and eyes, one could vaguely discern the outline of a woman.

Cold as ice, yet majestic as the heavens.

"The leader of the Hehuan Sect..." Yinling's voice was as soft as a sigh, "She has succeeded."