Chapter 561: The Patriarch Thinks Too Highly of Himself

Qi Yun took a step forward, and the void beneath his feet shattered. Multicolored chaotic light erupted from his body like boiling magma, forcing a gap open through the countless silver threads. Raising his longsword high, he pointed its tip directly at the center of True Monarch Shen Yi’s brow.

True Monarch Shen Yi’s pupils contracted slightly. He raised his right hand, splayed his fingers, and pressed down lightly in Qi Yun’s direction.

With this press, the countless silver threads tightened abruptly. Like a myriad of venomous snakes, they surged toward Qi Yun from all directions, seeking to entangle, constrict, and strangle him.

Qi Yun gave a cold snort and swept his longsword in a horizontal arc. Wherever the sword light passed, the silver threads snapped inch by inch like spiderwebs scorched by fierce fire, emitting HISSING wails. The severed threads twisted and struggled in the void before finally dissipating into specks of silver light.

True Monarch Shen Yi’s expression finally changed. “To think you can wield the power of the Profound Yellow Origin to such an extent?”

“Ancestor taught me well,” Qi Yun said flatly. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Qi has always remembered what you taught me.”

True Monarch Shen Yi’s eye twitched slightly. He certainly remembered those words. That was what he had told Qi Yun on Longevity Immortal Island. Back then, he had given Qi Yun the Westward Journey Error Map, guiding him to find the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, luring him to the ancient city of Chang’an, and leading him to inherit the Sword Dao of the Golden Tang Dynasty’s Great Emperor. He thought he was fishing, and that Qi Yun was the fish that would sooner or later take the bait.

However, he never expected that this fish would not only avoid getting hooked but also swallow all the bait thrown at it—then grow scales, sprout razor-sharp teeth, and evolve into a giant crocodile capable of devouring its master.

“Good, very good.” True Monarch Shen Yi’s voice deepened. “I have indeed underestimated you.”

“Ancestor didn’t underestimate Qi,” Qi Yun said, standing tall with his sword. His robes fluttered in the wind, and the blue sky behind him slowly rotated, illuminating the entire battlefield brightly. “Ancestor simply overestimated himself.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of all the True Monarchs present trembled. This was naked provocation—a face-to-face humiliation of a former Dao King and the Holy Sect’s Ancestor.

For anyone else, saying such things would be tantamount to courting death. Yet Qi Yun said it, and he said it with absolute conviction, as if he were merely stating a fact.

True Monarch Shen Yi did not lose his temper. Having reached his Realm, anger had long become superfluous.

“Do you think you can contend against me just because you have the Profound Yellow Origin?” His voice was calm but carried a terrifying certainty. “Qi Yun, you are too naive. The Profound Yellow Origin is strong, but it is not yours. You are merely borrowing it, not possessing it.

“How long can you use it? Fifteen minutes? Half an hour? A day? When your strength is exhausted, that will be the moment of your death.”

“Then Qi will kill Ancestor within fifteen minutes.” Qi Yun’s reply was concise and direct, devoid of any unnecessary embellishments.

Before his voice could fade, he attacked again. The phantom of the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree on his blade glowed brilliantly, its branches spreading and its roots extending as if trying to break free from the sword’s confines and take root in the void once more.

“Slash!”

As the word fell, the sword fell. There was no sword light, no Sword Qi, and no flashy illumination. There was only a single line. It was a line far more condensed, purer, and more unstoppable than before. That line extended from the tip of the sword, cleaving straight toward True Monarch Shen Yi.

True Monarch Shen Yi’s expression finally turned grave. Striking out with both hands, his ten fingers danced in a blur. Countless silver threads surged from his fingertips, weaving into an airtight silver barrier before him. Myriad Great Dao Talismans circulated upon the barrier, each emanating a terrifying Dao Rhyme capable of suppressing the Ten Thousand Laws and traversing Heaven and Earth.

The line struck the silver barrier.

True Monarch Shen Yi retreated explosively, his hands simultaneously swiping through the air to form overlapping layers of silver threads as a shield. But the line was too fast—so fast that the threads were severed before they could even fully form.

Just as the line was about to split True Monarch Shen Yi’s brow, a hand as pale and slender as jade reached out from the side, fingers slightly splayed, and blocked its path.

Feng Xi True Monarch.

The instant her palm made contact with the line, the entire Celestial Vault shuddered. The line that was strong enough to sever the silver barrier and force True Monarch Shen Yi into retreat halted against her palm. It wasn’t merely blocked, but rather completely immobilized.

Qi Yun furrowed his brows slightly.

“What an impressive Primordial,” Feng Xi True Monarch spoke, her voice as clear and cold as an icy spring. “Unfortunately, you have yet to truly master it.”

She closed her fingers. The immobilized line fractured inch by inch within her grasp, turning into countless tiny motes of light that dissolved into the void.

Qi Yun’s body trembled slightly as a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. Wiping away the blood, he looked at Feng Xi True Monarch and suddenly chuckled.

“Senior’s Dao is quite interesting,” he remarked nonchalantly. “The Dao of Eternity? Or… the Dao of Oblivion?”

Feng Xi True Monarch’s eyes flickered slightly. “Guess.”

She gave Qi Yun no further chance to speak. Raising her right hand, she pointed lightly in his direction.

This single point produced no wind, no light, and no anomalies. Yet Qi Yun felt an unprecedented pressure surge from all sides, trapping him firmly in place. Feng Xi True Monarch was using her Dao to forcibly rewrite the rules of this Heaven and Earth.

Qi Yun’s body froze. The sword in his hand froze. The blue sky behind him also stopped rotating.

“Qi the Kid!” In the distance, Desolate Halberd Splitting Sky True Monarch’s expression shifted drastically. He raised his Great Halberd, ready to charge over.

“Don’t move,” True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law grabbed him, his voice low. “Going over there is just throwing your life away.”

“Then what do we do? Just stand here and watch?”

True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law did not answer. He only looked at Qi Yun, observing the dark blue figure imprisoned in the void, a complex glint flashing in his eyes.

“Qi Yun, admit defeat,” Feng Xi True Monarch’s voice rang out, still cold but carrying a faint hint of pity. “Your Dao is strong, but you walked the wrong path.

“The Primordial Dao shouldn’t be about domination; it should be about transcendence. Binding your Dao to the Profound Yellow is tying your own hands. You cannot defeat me, nor can you defeat Shen Yi. Much less those seven Dao Kings.”

“Admit defeat?” Qi Yun’s voice squeezed through the invisible confinement. Though strained, it was perfectly clear. “Those two words aren’t in Qi’s dictionary.”

Feng Xi True Monarch shook her head. “Stubborn fool.”

Just as she was about to increase the pressure and thoroughly suppress him, a sudden anomaly occurred.

The sword in Qi Yun’s hand suddenly lit up. It wasn’t the blade itself that shone, but the phantom of the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree layered over it. It was no longer just a phantom; it began to come “alive.” Its branches stretched out and its roots spread, emerging from the blade to pierce the void, the blue sky behind Qi Yun, and the rules of Heaven and Earth that Feng Xi True Monarch had just rewritten.

“What?!” Feng Xi True Monarch’s expression shifted slightly.

She could feel that the rules she had laid down were being torn apart, disintegrated, and devoured inch by inch by the roots of the Treasure Tree. It wasn’t an act of resistance, but an act of “return.”

That Treasure Tree was the very root of this Heaven and Earth. Wherever its roots passed, all external rules were forcibly restored to the most fundamental primordial chaos.

Qi Yun’s body moved. He slowly lifted his hand, raised his sword, and pointed it at Feng Xi True Monarch. His movements were sluggish, but each step was unfathomably resolute, like a lone boat sailing upstream, carving out its own path through a raging torrent.

“Senior’s Dao is indeed very strong,” his voice fought through the suppression. Though still strained, it carried an unquestionable certainty. “But Senior forgot one thing.”

“What thing?”

“This is the Profound Yellow.” Qi Yun enunciated every syllable. “It is not your Dao domain.”

The instant his words landed, the sword in his hand slashed out.

This time, it wasn’t a line, but a tree. A complete and tangible Profound Yellow Treasure Tree, exuding the vicissitudes of eternity and boundless vitality, surged from the sword’s tip. It took root in the void, spreading its branches and extending its roots, tearing, disintegrating, and devouring the rules laid down by Feng Xi True Monarch layer by layer.

Feng Xi True Monarch’s expression changed drastically as she rapidly retreated. However, the roots of the Treasure Tree were too fast—so fast that before she could create enough distance, one of the roots wrapped tightly around her ankle.

The root constricted, firmly nailing her in place within the void.

“You—”

Just as Feng Xi True Monarch attempted to struggle, she discovered that her Magical Power, her Dao Rhyme, and every ounce of her strength were being frantically devoured by that root. It was returning it all to the Profound Yellow, back to this Heaven and Earth.

“No!” She let out a piercing shriek. Blinding flames erupted from her body, burning the root to a crisp as she launched herself backward once more.

This time, she retreated far enough—far beyond the reach of the Treasure Tree’s roots. Yet, her face was already as pale as a sheet of paper. In that brief instant, at least thirty percent of her cultivation base had been devoured by the Treasure Tree.

“What an incredible Profound Yellow Origin,” Feng Xi True Monarch’s voice trembled, betraying an unrecognizable mix of anger and fear. “You actually… managed to push it this far?”

Qi Yun did not answer. He stood straight with his sword, robes fluttering, as the blue sky behind him resumed its rotation. His face was pale, and his aura was weak. Yet, his eyes burned brighter than before.

“Ancestor Shen Yi,” he said, turning to True Monarch Shen Yi with a neutral tone, “it’s your turn.”

True Monarch Shen Yi remained silent for a moment. He looked at the sword in Qi Yun’s hand, at the phantom of the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree still spreading its branches in the void, and at Qi Yun’s blindingly bright eyes. The cold killing intent gradually faded from his face, replaced by an indescribable, complex expression.

“Qi Yun,” he finally spoke, his voice low. “Are you truly going to take it this far?”

“It wasn’t Qi who wanted to take it this far,” Qi Yun replied calmly. “It was Ancestor who forced Qi to take this step.”

True Monarch Shen Yi fell silent for a long time. It was a silence so long that all the True Monarchs on the battlefield held their breaths, so long that the six rifts above the Celestial Vault began to tremble slightly, and so long that the phantom of the Profound Yellow Treasure Tree started to slowly retract.

“Fine,” he finally said, uttering only a single word. Then, he turned around, took a step forward, and vanished into the void.

Feng Xi True Monarch looked in the direction True Monarch Shen Yi had disappeared, then back at Qi Yun, before finally turning to leave as well.

One after the other, the two former Dao Kings withdrew from the battlefield.

A deathly silence hung over the Celestial Vault. Qi Yun stood with his sword, watching their silhouettes disappear before slowly lowering his blade. His body swayed unsteadily, nearly plummeting from the void.

“Qi the Kid!” Desolate Halberd Splitting Sky True Monarch rushed over in a single bound and supported him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Qi Yun shook his head and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Just a bit tired.”

“If you’re tired, then rest,” Desolate Halberd Splitting Sky True Monarch patted him on the shoulder, his rugged face filled with emotion.

Qi Yun did not reply. He raised his head and gazed up at the six rifts above the Celestial Vault. Within those rifts, six gazes still lingered—cold and indifferent, like six sharp swords dangling over his head.

Then, he looked down at the longsword in his hand.

It seemed… it was time!