"Yes!" Behind him, the Nine Great Celestial Masters shouted in unison, their eyes equally blazing with fervor. Each of them swiftly took up positions at different locations, forming the Nine Palaces formation, and rapidly began forming hand seals. The seals in their hands underwent thousands of transformations in an instant, as if containing all the principles and truths of the Heavenly Secrets.
Finally, different seals appeared in the hands of the Nine Great Celestial Masters, and they shouted together: "Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian!"
"Heaven Reversal!"
Boom—
It was as if they had touched upon an unknown taboo. In the previously empty sky, a tremendous roar sounded, and boundless Heavenly Punishment thunderbolts descended. Vast and endless, they poured forth, submerging the divine nine-layered coffin at the center of the starry sky and crashing toward the Emperor Body at its critical juncture.
These were truly terrifying Heavenly Punishment thunderbolts, each one powerful enough to injure a Great Power. Now, with thousands upon thousands, even more, of these thunderbolts raining down in a full-scale assault, the terrifying might was enough to horrify even an Ancient Monarch.
Even the world-shaking strike unleashed by Wanyan Shiqi at the cost of self-destruction had greatly dissipated after blocking the attacks of the many powerhouses. Although the massive starry rift that had severed half of the ancient cosmos still remained, the Heavenly Punishment thunderbolts were also too vast, spanning both sides of the rift. They fell upon the Emperor Body, pierced through the boundless radiance on its surface, and struck home.
The Emperor Body trembled violently!
Yuanchu Imperial Son's body also shook, actually unable to continue the fusion. On the contrary, it was forcibly separated by a slight degree.
At the same time, after executing this move, the Nine Great Celestial Masters seemed to age many years in an instant. Their complexions turned deathly pale, devoid of blood, their eyes dimmed, numerous wrinkles appeared on their faces, and even several terrifying blood streaks emerged between their eyebrows.
Clearly, executing this move required a tremendous price, for these vast Heavenly Punishment thunderbolts were not truly their own power but were summoned by borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao is vast and boundless, with cause and effect cycling. The more powerful the force, the greater the price required.
After executing this move, the Nine Great Celestial Masters had paid a heavy price, their lifespans drastically reduced by a significant portion—easily by thousands or even tens of thousands of years. It was no small cost.
"I will remember your sacrifice. Later, I shall impart to you part of the Heavenly Secrets secret arts," the mysterious Great Sage spoke, causing the Nine Great Celestial Masters to be overjoyed, feeling that their sacrifice was all worth it.
Yet this was not all. The mysterious Great Sage's gaze deepened: "After years of deduction and countless arrangements, everything done was merely to await this moment. Let it end!"
Crack—
The boundless tribulation light was suddenly torn apart. Within it, a hazy light descended from the sky, only about ten zhang in length, appearing as insignificant as dust compared to any of the tribulation thunderbolts.
Yet everyone present, including the five Ancient Monarchs, felt an intense sense of danger from this hazy light.
"That is—"
Everyone's expressions changed. It could absolutely threaten the lives of Ancient Monarchs.
"Imperial Emperor Killing Intent!"
All present were truly top-tier figures, experienced and knowledgeable. Naturally, they recognized it and couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
This was the terrifying killing intent of a true supreme Emperor, condensed into light, capable of annihilating everything in the world. Even an Ancient Monarch would perish if caught off guard.
From the distant sky, the mysterious Great Sage said, "This is the Imperial Emperor Killing Intent I obtained through immense hardship from the Chaos Battlefield. Originally, I intended to refine it into a war weapon, but today, to seize the Emperor Body, I do not hesitate to release it."
The light of the Imperial Emperor Killing Intent descended like a heavenly blade, directly slashing toward the head of Yuanchu Imperial Son behind it.
Everything happened with extreme speed, leaving no time to dodge. Yuanchu Imperial Son, at this critical moment, was also unable to evade. However, his entire body radiated light as he arduously pushed the Emperor Body upward to unleash an Emperor Fist, colliding with the light of the Imperial Emperor Killing Intent.
Boom—
The Fiftieth Trial Pass shook violently. Numerous enormous fissures appeared on the ground, and this mysterious ancient city also began to crumble.
Blood light soared to the heavens!
The Emperor Fist was mangled and bloody, with white bones exposed, yet it actually managed to block the light of the Imperial Emperor Killing Intent.
"Ah!"
From within the Emperor Body, a mournful roar from Yuanchu Imperial Son echoed. The soul light between his eyebrows instantly dimmed many times over, directly severed by the light of the Imperial Emperor Killing Intent. He could no longer continue the final step of fusion and was completely separated.
Moreover, that killing intent was excessively terrifying. Even transmitted through the Emperor Body, it caused Yuanchu Imperial Son's soul to suffer an impact.
"You all leave this place quickly. Leave the rest to me alone," the mysterious Great Sage transmitted his voice to the Nine Great Celestial Masters.
"We obey the Great Sage's command!"
The Nine Great Celestial Masters bowed respectfully. Under the secret treasure bestowed by the mysterious Great Sage, they swiftly left the Fiftieth Trial Pass and then crossed domains over a long distance.
Swish—
The mysterious Great Sage shot out in an instant, charging toward the Emperor Body on the pyramid ancestral altar.
At this moment, he had completely seized the initiative. The Emperor Body could not move, and all the powerhouses were blocked outside. Only he could ignore everything and descend upon this place.
The Emperor Body was within reach, about to be obtained!
"It's you!"
At this moment, Huang Di's expression changed as he recognized the newcomer's identity. His face then turned ugly, and he said gloomily, "Heaven's Secret Master, I never expected you to come as well!"
That's right, this person was none other than the most mysterious and unfathomable among the Nine Ancient Path Overlords—Heaven's Secret Master.
He had come too.
"Heaven's Secret Master!?"
Clearly, the others had also heard rumors about Heaven's Secret Master, and their expressions changed one after another.
In the path of deduction, Heaven's Secret Master was considered the most outstanding among them, profound and unfathomable. He could deduce countless matters, even the whereabouts and many secrets of the other Ancient Path Overlords.
Precisely because of this, the other Ancient Path Overlords were extremely wary of him, and some among the Nine Ancient Path Overlords even targeted him, intending to join forces to eliminate him.
Yet no one knew that Heaven's Secret Master had also come here, scheming for the Emperor Body.
At this moment, many people understood. Having seen him standing with the Nine Great Celestial Masters earlier, they sighed at the depth of his schemes. Even the Nine Great Celestial Masters were under his command, directed to help the Ancient Monarchs deduce the location of the Fiftieth Trial Pass.
Heaven's Secret Master's figure was hazy, shrouded by Heavenly Secrets, making it difficult to see his true appearance. Only his slender build and elegant, scholarly demeanor were discernible. He smiled at Huang Di and said, "Huang Di, if you can come, why can't I? I have been planning for a long time, and today is also the time for me to reap the fruits of my schemes."
He walked toward the pyramid ancestral altar.
"Don't even think about it!"
The others naturally would not allow Heaven's Secret Master to seize the Emperor Body. But they saw Heaven's Secret Master flick his sleeve, immediately causing heaven and earth to rumble. The endless Heavenly Punishment thunderbolts summoned earlier by the Nine Great Celestial Masters at great cost poured down, flooding the Fiftieth Trial Pass and blocking everyone.