The flawed immortal firmament:
Despite their personal repulsion towards aiding the ten sects, Houqing and Mao Tianyun had no choice but to act, under the command of Houtu and Long Wanyu. While they would help, they would only do so against the Bone Deity.
In a strategic move, they had induced Ensnaring Performance to belt out a tune. Despite the profound disgust it incited in them, they had developed countermeasures over time. On the other hand, the impact of Ensnaring Performance’s melody on the skeleton race was tremendous.
As the song drew to a close, the overwhelming majority of skeletons were on the verge of collapse. Even the Bone Deity could no longer bear the auditory torture.
The song was simply unbearable.
Fueled by anger, the Bone Deity rose. With each step he took, the land fifty thousand kilometers around instantly ossified. Be it trees, mountains, or rivers, everything transformed, morphing into innumerable bones in a blink of an eye.
The Bone Deity’s bone world domain spread out.
Then Bone Deity attacked the singing Ensnaring Performance, intending to strangle the life out of him.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
In the face of impending death, Ensnaring Performance retreated in sheer terror, his horrified screams ripping through the air.
Upon witnessing the attack, the ten sect masters wanted to intervene out of rationality, but their hearts seemed to shout in unison, Yes, kill him! Strangle him to death!
Every sect disciple and every skeleton shared this sentiment born of revulsion, not just the ten sect masters.
Strangle this evil being to death! Exterminate him swiftly!
Although some managed to overcome their instincts and rationally attempted to thwart the Bone Deity, they were instantly repelled by his formidable strength. After all, look at the Bone Deity’s cultivation.
“My life is over!” Ensnaring Performance exclaimed in terror.
Suddenly, a fist emerged behind Ensnaring Performance to counter the Bone Deity’s manifested palm.
Boom!
A deafening report rang out, creating a powerful gale that swept away all the sect disciples. Space tore at the point of collision, from which countless cracks spread like a spiderweb.
Houqing had finally taken action, his fist firmly locked with the Bone Deity’s skeletal palm in midair.
“Houqing?” questioned the Bone Deity, his voice frigid.
“You finally made a move, Bone Deity? Humph! You are not as formidable as I anticipated. You fall significantly short compared to the Bone Ancestor!” Houqing sneered.
“The Bone Ancestor? Hah! I know you suffered defeat at his hands once. However, how can you be certain I’m inferior to the Bone Ancestor? It was I who slew him. He was nothing more than a rib bone of Immortal Cang that survived destruction by absorbing the Void Energy in the void after the Six Paths Veritable Lord killed Immortal Cang. Void Energy? That’s a limitless power source, which I’ve now gained. I’m far more formidable than him!” Bone Deity retorted coldly.
The Bone Deity suddenly exerted some force in his manifested palm.
Boom!
A terrifying noise reverberated as a black hole tore open in the space around them.
“Everyone, retreat!” the ten sect masters shouted in unison.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the sect disciples and the skeletons scattered frantically.
Amid the immense force, Houqing came to a standstill. He stomped his foot on the ground, shattering it.
Surprise flickered in Houqing’s eyes as he gazed at the Bone Deity. Despite my full power, I can only manage a stalemate?
“Oh? Houqing, so you’ve grown stronger? However, your strength is still limited. You’re far behind Ba and Jiangchen! A wind-attributed zombie ancestor like you is just wasted potential!” the Bone Deity sneered.
“Humph! Who are you to claim that I’m a waste?” Houqing retorted defensively, with an upset expression.
A gale formed behind Houqing and lashed at the Bone Deity. Yet, the Bone Deity remained unfazed. His robe only fluttered slightly.
“The storm domain? It is entirely useless against me. All you have is your abilities as a zombie, right? You have nothing else to wield against me!” the Bone Deity sneered.
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
The force from the Bone Deity’s manifested palm gradually suppressed Houqing, causing more and more cracks to appear on the ground beneath Houqing’s feet.
“Your strength exceeds mine? Impossible!” Houqing exclaimed, his face paling in disbelief.
“Your greatest strength is not even comparable to mine. What can you use to fight me?” the Bone Deity scoffed.
“Oh no! The Bone Deity has reached the realm of consummation of the spiritual souls!” Mao Tianyun’s face paled.
The faces of the ten sect masters changed instantly, evincing fervent reverence.
“The world is infinite; the universe lends me power! Six Paths Holy Lord, bestow strength on me!” the ten sect masters cried out in unison.
Buzz!
All the statues of the Six Paths Veritable Lord released their energy, which flowed into the bodies of the ten sect masters.
“Break!”
Nearly simultaneously, the ten sect masters channeled all their strength into a powerful attack aimed at the Bone Deity.
“That’s insufficient!” The Bone Deity smiled coldly.
Bone Deity’s manifested palm enlarged over a hundred times, blocking the ten sect masters’ powerful strike.
Boom!
Houqing and the others failed to overpower the Bone Deity in the massive collision; they were even being suppressed.
“Hahahaha! I told you, you are insufficient!” the Bone Deity sneered.
Amid his laughter, the Bone Deity’s other palm shot out abruptly.
“Mao Tianyun!” Houqing cried out in alarm.
“Meow!” Mao Tianyun let out a mighty snarl.
Boom!
Raging fire instantly enveloped the world.
Mao Tianyun’s cat paw swiped down, pulling what seemed like countless threads in space to form a gigantic fiery dragon’s head, which violently clashed with the Bone Deity’s other palm.
Boom!
The other palm of the Bone Deity collided with the fiery dragon’s head, leading to another stalemate.
“Fire-attributed laws? Indeed, formidable. You’re worthy of being Heaven Cang’s lackey. However, the laws are incomplete in this flawed immortal firmament. If we were in the Six Paths Immortal Firmament, the combined force of your laws and these people might be a match for me. But now, your laws are incomplete. How can you be my adversary?” the Bone Deity laughed coldly.
Boom!
The Bone Deity exerted force, and the fiery dragon’s head exploded. The ten sect masters and Houqing froze abruptly.
“Meow!” Mao Tianyun yowled fiercely and defiantly swung its cat paw.
A deadlock ensued, despite the Bone Deity’s confidence of victory. He found himself held in check by the combined force of all the combatants.
Although Houqing had achieved the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, distinctions existed within the same realm, as demonstrated by Chiyou and the Electric Eel Heavenly Demon.
As both sides used their full power, a brief silence descended, the fluctuating forces in the surroundings preventing the skeletons and sect disciples from approaching.
“This is too horrifying. You said you wouldn’t make a move, insisting I do so instead. You all keep fighting; I’ll cheer you on,” protested Ensnaring Performance, his intentions of fleeing plain as day.
Mao Tianyun called out urgently to Ensnaring Performance. “Ensnaring Performance, we’ve already occupied the Bone Deity. Now is the time for you to act!”
Ensnaring Performance panicked. “Me? I’m only in the Middle Heavenly Palace Realm. I can’t do it!”
“You can drive the laws, right? Didn’t you used to drive the metal-attributed laws? Now you can even drive the music Dao laws, something even more powerful than the metal-attributed laws. Act quickly!” Mao Tianyun pointed out.
“I’ve forgotten about the metal-attributed laws. As for the music Dao laws? I have no idea how to drive them!” Ensnaring Performance waved his hands in denial.
“Sing,” Mao Tianyun instructed. “Your singing functions as the music Dao laws’ attack. Sing now!”
The Bone Deity, as well as the ten sect masters, felt a sense of impending doom at Mao Tianyun’s words. Sing? At this crucial juncture? It felt like wanton destruction.
“Sing!” Mao Tianyun urged once more. “Houqing and I have heard you sing for a long time already and have developed some immunity. Your singing will dazzle the Bone Deity’s mind. Then we can attack at full power!”
“Ah? Sing? Here? Now? That’s not good, right?” Ensnaring Performance looked terrified at the prospect.
Bone Deity remarked coldly, “You, evil being, are the most frustrating one. If you dare to sing, I’ll grind you to dust!”
“Sing now!” Houqing ordered through gritted teeth.
Ensnaring Performance looked at the Bone Deity. He only nodded after being certain the Bone Deity could no longer move. Then, he shouted annoyingly, “Now that your hands are restrained, how will you grind me to dust? What can you do if I sing? Nothing, right? Hahaha! Come get me if you can!”
Ensnaring Performance took a deep breath, preparing to sing.
Rip!
Before Ensnaring Performance could start, the Bone Deity’s robe ripped open at the chest, revealing a third skeletal hand that reached for Ensnaring Performance.
“I told you: if you dare to sing, I will grind you to dust. Evil being, die!” the Bone Deity roared with hatred.
Although the third hand was less powerful than the other two, Ensnaring Performance stood no chance against it. With the third skeletal hand about to crush him, he cried out with tears of regret, “Save me!”
“Run!” Mao Tianyun yelled.
However, no one could move. If Mao Tianyun moved back to drive the fire-attributed laws, the Bone Deity would strike back hard, severely injuring it. Houqing and the ten sect masters were in the same predicament.
“Dodge, Divine Envoy!” the ten sect masters yelled in alarm.
However, the Bone Deity’s third skeletal hand approached; Ensnaring Performance could not dodge in time.
“Master, where are you?! Save me!” Ensnaring Performance cried out in despair.
“Master? Hahahaha! No one can save you. If your master comes, I’ll kill him along with you!” the Bone Deity guffawed maniacally.
Just as it seemed that Ensnaring Performance was doomed, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
“Who is it?” The Bone Deity’s face sank.
It was Long Shenying in his zombie form, pulling Ensnaring Performance away at an incredible speed.
“Trying to flee? You’ll remain too!” the Bone Deity snarled.
The Bone Deity’s third skeletal hand shot towards Long Shenying and Ensnaring Performance.
Before the hand could reach the two, the space in front blurred and rippled as if the third hand had entered a massive ritual array.
“The Go Dao laws? A Go Dao ritual array?” Mao Tianyun exclaimed in astonishment.
“I got away! I got away!” Ensnaring Performance, who had escaped the Bone Deity’s clutches, could not help but celebrate.
“No one can escape my hands. Die!” the Bone Deity roared.
Boom!
The dry bones on the ground flew up and enveloped this area, trapping Long Shenying and Ensnaring Performance.
“The bone world arrives, decaying the world! Die with your master!” the Bone Deity declared, his face full of arrogance and ruthlessness after bursting forth with his full power. He wanted to bury everyone in this world of bones.
“Oh no!” The expressions of Houqing, Mao Tianyun, and Ensnaring Performance changed dramatically.
Phish!
A bone saber suddenly stabbed through Bone Deity’s chest from behind, protruding from the front.
“What? Who is it?!” The Bone Deity’s expression changed.
Gu Hai mysteriously emerged from the Gu’s Immortal Firmament behind the Bone Deity.
Surging flames erupted around the Bone Deity. Even a ninth-layer Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator could not endure such an inferno. However, Gu Hai simply poured all the explosive force into his Gu’s Immortal Firmament.
“We are Ensnaring Performance’s master. Didn’t you want to kill us along with him?” Gu Hai suddenly said coldly.
The Life Ender Saber in Gu Hai’s hand seemed to quiver with anticipation.
Boom!
With a flick of his wrist, Gu Hai cut the Bone Deity in half with the Life Ender Saber, and the two halves went flying.
