Chapter 549 479: The Player and the Pawn

The three-month deadline arrived in the blink of an eye. On this day, the sky was crisp and clear, without a cloud in sight.

However, starting from the early morning, the Celestial Vault of the entire Profound Yellow Origin Realm began to undergo extraordinary changes.

In the East, a streak of azure sword light tore through the firmament. Its Sword Intent surged into the heavens, sweeping away the clouds for ten thousand miles to reveal the profound starry sky beyond. Within the sword light, the phantom of a palace formed from pure Sword Qi faintly flickered. Its eaves were like swords piercing straight into the firmament, exuding a supreme sharpness capable of severing karma and destroying the Ten Thousand Laws. The Sword Pavilion had arrived.

In the South, a sea of crimson-gold fire surged out of thin air. Amidst the churning flames, nine Simurghs wreathed in seven-colored fire stretched their necks and let out long cries. They pulled a magnificent Phoenix Carriage, carved entirely from Ten Thousand Year Fire Jade, slowly rising from the sea of fire. Behind the carriage stretched boundless crimson-gold radiant clouds. Countless phantoms of soaring phoenixes could be vaguely seen within the radiance, showering the sky with fiery rain and illuminating half the Celestial Vault in dazzling splendor. Fengduo had arrived.

In the West, gray mist permeated the air, heavy with a deathly stillness. It was no ordinary fog, but an accumulation of countless minuscule, grayish-white particles exuding the stench of decay. Wherever it passed, light dimmed and the Spiritual Mechanism solidified. A throne built of white bones slowly emerged from the mist. A gaunt figure sat upright upon it, holding a Dark Yellow Bamboo Scroll. The Dao Rhyme of reincarnation flowed around him, making him look like the Lord of the Netherworld emerging from the depths of the Nine Netherworld. The Yellow Springs Netherworld had arrived.

In the North, Profound Ice condensed as a cold tide swept across the expanse. Three True Dragon phantoms of different colors soared into the sky from the depths of the North Sea, spiraling above the Celestial Vault. The azure one burned with the intensity of a blazing sun, the crimson one flowed like molten lava, and the deep blue one chilled like eternal ice. Their three distinct dragon auras intertwined, transforming into a Dragon Realm that covered ten thousand miles. Within this realm, tens of thousands of dragons roared, their scales and claws flying as they suppressed all directions. The Dragon Race of the Four Seas had arrived.

The True Monarchs of the Vast Sacred Land, Tyrant Sect, Celestial Secret Sect, Nine Kings Mountain, and various other factions appeared one after another.

Every True Monarch's arrival was accompanied by world-altering phenomena. Their intertwined auras formed a vast ocean of Dao Rhyme that covered the entire Central Earth. Let alone approaching, ordinary Cultivators would feel their Heart and Spirit waver and their Dao Foundation destabilize just by glancing from afar.

However, the moment these phenomena touched the faint, chaotic multicolored light above the Wuji Holy Sect, they assimilated silently into it, like rivers flowing into the sea. That was the Mountain Protection Array Qi Yun had established using the Dao of [Primordial]. The Ten Thousand Laws returned to the source; all Daos bowed in submission.

Inside Taixu Hall, the various True Monarchs took their seats in order.

The towering palace featured a lofty dome supported by seventy-two Profound Iron Coiling Dragon Pillars, propping up the vast space. On the pillars, the coiling dragons seemed to come alive; light flickered in their draconic eyes as they gazed upon every True Monarch in the hall. Dozens of True Monarchs and dozens of Great Daos formed a delicate, fragile balance within this Demon Dao hall that had been passed down through the ages.

No one spoke. Everyone was waiting. Waiting for the one who had summoned them.

TAP.

A faint footstep echoed from outside the hall.

Though the sound was not loud, it clearly reached the ears of every True Monarch, as if stepping directly on the beat of their hearts. An indescribable rhythm hid within that sound, creating a faint resonance with the entirety of Taixu Hall, the Wuji Holy Sect, and Heaven and Earth itself.

Everyone's gaze shot toward the hall's entrance. Qi Yun's figure appeared there.

He wore his usual Deep Blue Daoist Robe, his ink-black hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. His face was calm, with multicolored light swirling in his eyes. Compared to a few months ago, the aura around him was even more restrained and profound, like a bottomless pool that defied all probing.

Yet, the moment he appeared, the auras of the dozens of True Monarchs in the hall involuntarily dialed back, like ministers beholding their sovereign. It wasn't an intentional suppression, but rather a natural overlooking born from his Great Dao Status.

Qi Yun stepped into the hall. Every step fell on a profound and mysterious rhythm. He walked up to the cloud seat, flicked his sleeves, and sat down.

"Fellow Daoists, you have traveled far, and I, Qi, have failed to welcome you from afar," he said lightly. His voice was low, yet it rang clearly in the ears of every True Monarch.

The crowd in the hall cupped their hands in return, murmuring, "We wouldn't dare."

Qi Yun gave a slight nod. Without another word, he gently waved his hand.

HUM—

A stream of chaotic multicolored light flowed from his palm, condensing in the center of Taixu Hall into an ever-flowing scroll of light and shadow.

Within the scroll was the phantom of a heaven-reaching Divine Tree. The tree rooted itself in boundless, thick earth, while its branches extended into the endless void. Every single leaf was a heavenly realm, and every single fruit was a complete world.

Silence instantly descended upon the hall. Everyone's gaze was captivated by the picture scroll.

"This is..." Qingyuan True Monarch's gaze focused.

"Profound Yellow," Qi Yun replied indifferently.

He offered no further explanation. Instead, he quietly observed the crowd in the hall, watching the shock, contemplation, and doubt flickering in their eyes. He knew that some among them had already guessed something, while others remained completely ignorant. But it didn't matter. He hadn't called them here to tell them the truth, but to make them see exactly what he wanted them to see.

"The Great Tide of Time is approaching," Qi Yun's voice echoed through the hall. "When it arrives, the Profound Yellow barrier will weaken, allowing external enemies to exploit the vulnerability and invade. I, Qi, have gathered you all here to discuss this very matter."

The hall fell into a heavy silence. To most of the True Monarchs present, the term 'Great Tide of Time' was merely a vague concept that had only recently begun to spread. But at this moment, spoken from Qi Yun's lips, its weight was entirely different.