This was no mere collision of Imperial Weapons.
To be precise, it was a clash of rules.
*Boom.*
The moment the Imperial Weapons touched, the Immortal Emperor's physical body exploded.
An unimaginable recoil force traveled back to the body, shattering it directly.
"Hmph."
Faintly, a supreme will descended along the Great Dao: "You seek death."
The supreme power of the Great Dao appeared before the Immortal Emperor's shattered flesh and blood along the traces of the Dao.
*Chirp!*
The illusory, mist-like power of the Great Dao instantly materialized before the Immortal Emperor.
Fingers like mountains, a gentle grasp.
In the netherworld, it seemed something was caught in Huan Zong's hand.
The next moment...
*Bang.*
Huan Zong's palm exploded.
The will, imbued with the power of the Great Dao, let out a cold laugh: "Huan Zong, I know you..."
The master behind the pagoda actually recognized Huan Zong.
The high and mighty Upper Nine Heavens, though dismissive of the Lower Ten Lands, were ultimately prepared.
Every supreme being of the Lower Ten Lands was recorded by them.
Among them was Huan Zong's name.
"Who are you?" Huan Zong's expression was grim.
He had been utterly defeated in their first brief contact.
The opponent, with just a wisp of their Great Dao will, had injured his arm.
Though it was a fleeting encounter, it made him understand the gap between them.
"Heh."
The opponent's tone was filled with disdain: "You will know."
*Thump.*
As the words fell, the pagoda trembled again.
Faintly, a portal of light began to take shape within the pagoda, and a power not belonging to the Lower Ten Lands seeped through.
"You retreat," Huan Zong commanded.
Behind him, the Immortal Emperor, having reformed his physical body, did not press the issue.
To do so now would only be a burden to Huan Zong.
*Hoo.*
Huan Zong exhaled a turbid breath.
The pagoda before him exerted immense pressure.
The portal of light, even more so.
*Rumble.*
On Huan Zong's body, the power of the Great Dao began to boil.
"Kill."
He attacked without hesitation.
This time, there were no reservations.
The Great Dao of Illusion also possessed offensive techniques, and a colossal killing formation descended.
*Rumble.*
The formation enveloped the pagoda.
The great battle commenced.
One hundred and eighty divine pillars of killing transformed into one hundred and eighty dragons, fiercely attacking the pagoda.
Huan Zong unleashed his full power, striking the pagoda, causing it to warp incessantly.
Vast spatial rifts collapsed under the impact.
"Roar."
The will of the pagoda roared.
If this continued, this passage would collapse: "Why aren't you helping?"
The pagoda's master's power had not yet fully descended, merely manifesting their will through the Imperial Weapon.
It was normal to be outmatched by Huan Zong.
Cross-domain descent was difficult.
*Clang.*
As soon as the pagoda's will spoke, a resonant clang echoed.
A pitch-black saber appeared abruptly beside the pagoda, striking down.
"Divine Light Fist."
*Boom.*
The Lord of Light attacked.
Two ninth-tier beings fought two Imperial Weapons, turning the world upside down.
*Scratch!*
Unexpectedly, at a crucial moment, another massive rift, ten thousand feet wide, appeared.
A withered hand emerged from the rift.
With a gentle grasp, it exploded the surrounding worlds, and along with them, the nearby Great Emperors.
King Yu was among them, as were Great Emperors from the Sword Realm.
"Evil Lord."
In the Yin-Yang River, Chen Fan stood up at some point.
His gaze remained calm.
"Jie jie."
The Evil Lord's laughter sent shivers down one's spine.
The next moment, a viscous green poison, dense like ink, spread throughout his body.
As the Dao marks materialized, the Evil Lord vanished from his position.
"I'll play with you," the Evil Lord's voice echoed through the heavens and earth.
The hand was directly corroded by the venom.
Scars appeared on the hand.
The Evil Lord opened his mouth, spewing a poisonous mist filled with myriad negative emotions, engulfing the hand.
"Thousand Threads."
The master behind the hand recognized the Evil Lord's face.
A voice filled with killing intent resounded: "You were once a person of my Upper Nine Heavens, even in your evil form, you are still one of us. How dare you aid the wicked?"
"Jie jie."
Alas, the other party's words had no effect on the Evil Lord.
The Evil Lord preferred slaughter, preferred battling stronger opponents.
Therefore, the master behind the hand not only failed to make the Evil Lord stop but further ignited his rebellious spirit.
"I'll devour you," a chilling voice emanated from the Evil Lord's mouth.
Thousand Threads were slaves of the Upper Nine Heavens, but he, the Evil Lord, was not.
He was the Evil Lord, the unique Evil Lord of heaven and earth.
"Kill."
A long saber filled with immense evil energy appeared.
With a single strike, with a 'puff' sound, the hand was directly severed by the Evil Lord's evil saber.
"Mm."
A muffled grunt was heard.
Following that, a roar of immense rage followed: "No one can stop the arrival of the Myriad Tribulations. You are the Evil Lord, are you? When I descend, I will flay your skin and extract your tendons, making you understand what great power is."
"I'll be waiting for you."
The Evil Lord withdrew his gaze, responding with full fighting spirit.
Threats?
Would he be afraid?
Since his birth, the only one who had ever threatened him was Chen Fan, and he had succeeded.
He had become quite accustomed to fighting with Chen Fan during this time.
There were always endless battles.
Now, facing an even stronger opponent, the Evil Lord was immensely excited.
The hand that appeared last collapsed first, something no one had anticipated.
"This piece of trash."
The owner of the pagoda grumbled, his tone extremely displeased.
"Hmph."
The owner of the black saber was also dissatisfied: "It's all because of Five Elements and Thousand Threads, who hid for a million years and were exposed at the last moment. Truly pathetic."
They were truly angered.
If the Lord of Five Elements and the Lord of Thousand Threads were still in the Eighth Land, they could have easily opened a void channel by activating coordinates and connecting the power of the Upper Nine Heavens with the Great Dao, allowing for direct descent.
Why go through such trouble.
Alas, their hidden pieces were gone.
The pagoda's will, still unwilling, said to the black saber: "Don't you have any more hidden cards? Why aren't you using them?"
"It's useless, too weak."
"How will you know if you don't try?"
"Alright."
The black saber's voice was tinged with helplessness.
If they couldn't descend now, more powerful beings would intervene on the sixth day.
Those individuals were rivals for the treasure.
To seize the initiative, the black saber made a decision.
The next moment, an icy voice reverberated: "Are you not going to act yet?"
"..."
Silence permeated heaven and earth.
Apart from Huan Zong and the Lord of Light still resisting the pressure from the two Imperial Weapons, everyone else was somewhat panicked.
In the Eighth Land, a distant border region.
This place was perpetually desolate and uninhabited.
And at this moment, a powerful fluctuation suddenly erupted in this abandoned land.
*Boom.*
An eighth-tier Great World slowly appeared in everyone's sight.
Not ninth-tier, but eighth-tier.
Ninth-tier was a strategic resource; not everyone had the audacity to use a ninth-tier as a hidden piece.
For most people, an eighth-tier was sufficient.
The hidden piece left by the black saber was an eighth-tier Great Emperor.
Under everyone's gaze, the gate of the eighth-tier Great World opened directly.
Then, under the watchful eyes of countless individuals, dozens of Great Emperors emerged from the world.
This world had evaded the search of the Yin-Yang River and all dangers.
Now, it had finally seen the light of day.
Dozens of Great Emperors, though mostly seventh-tier, had a considerable number of eighth-tier among them.
This was the contingency plan left by a top-tier ninth-tier being.