The Zenith of Formation and the Way of Flame

Gu Qingfeng had indeed broken through in the heat of battle. This made him a little excited; after muddling along for so many years, he finally got to enjoy the protagonist's treatment for once.

Which protagonist didn't break through in the middle of a fight? Could someone even be called a protagonist if they didn't?

Of course, on the surface, it looked like a mid-battle breakthrough, but only Gu Qingfeng himself knew the actual truth.

The reason he could break through was naturally because he had devoured the nine lifetimes of foundation belonging to Lin Daoxuan. With the foundation of the number one person throughout the ages, breaking through was simply the most normal thing in the world.

It was just a pity that he didn't have the most crucial tenth lifetime.

But it didn't matter. As long as Lin Daoxuan was still in the Meteor Abyss, he wouldn't be able to run away.

Once he found Lin Daoxuan, he would thoroughly humiliate him.

Gu Qingfeng simply didn't believe in this superstition. Who said villains die from talking too much? He was determined to break this ironclad rule.

Although this breakthrough was aided by Lin Daoxuan's foundation, it was actually due more to Gu Qingfeng's own foundation.

This was because what he had devoured was Lin Daoxuan's willpower, not his cultivation base.

Within that willpower were Lin Daoxuan's comprehensions and experiences regarding the Immortal Lord realm. Having devoured these, it was as if Gu Qingfeng himself had cultivated to the Immortal Lord realm nine times.

With the path ahead made clear, all that remained was the accumulation of power.

When it came to accumulating power, Gu Qingfeng truly had far too much, especially since he had just devoured Immortal Lord Bi She.

Therefore, under this dual effect, instantly becoming an Immortal Lord on the spot wasn't too much to ask, right?

Of course, Lin Daoxuan losing his realm comprehensions and experiences from his previous nine lives didn't mean he had lost the memories of those nine lives.

The tenth-lifetime Lin Daoxuan still knew what happened in the previous nine lives, but the difference was that he lacked the personal experience.

Possessing only his tenth lifetime, Lin Daoxuan viewed his previous nine lives as if watching a movie. He had an impression of everything, but it was like watching someone else's life.

Those genuine emotions, comprehensions, and experiences were all gone; all that remained were hollow memories.

The difference was vast, much like how a person watching a movie wouldn't instantly become the protagonist after it ended.

Boom!

Once the breakthrough was complete, Gu Qingfeng merely stretched his back and effortlessly broke free from all the red threads of karma.

Those red threads instantly snapped.

Immortal Lord Qijue and the others, who had been frantically channeling their Dharmic powers, were directly sent flying as the red threads of karma broke.

Their bodies flew backward, their faces stark white as they spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood.

With his realm elevated, Gu Qingfeng's control over the origin of calamity and tribulation became increasingly proficient, naturally allowing him to easily expel the power of karma.

Since Lin Daoxuan ran away, this Emperor will just have to use you all to vent a little, jie jie jie... Gu Qingfeng laughed sinisterly as he walked toward Immortal Lord Qijue and the others.

Immortal Lord Qijue and the rest didn't quite understand. What did he mean by since Lin Daoxuan ran away? Aren't you Lin Daoxuan?

The battle of consciousness just now had all taken place within Gu Qingfeng's mindscape. To the outside world, he had merely spaced out for a brief moment, so the crowd had no idea what had just transpired.

They had always believed that Gu Qingfeng was Lin Daoxuan's reincarnation.

Flee!!

Immortal Lord Qijue had no intention of fighting to the death. Having failed in their clash using the power of karma just now, all of them had suffered a karmic backlash. Their strength was greatly reduced, making it impossible for them to be a match for the current Gu Qingfeng.

The power of karma was not something that could be leveraged casually. Once one suffered a backlash, they would be heavily injured at best, or face the dissipation of their Dao and death at worst.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The group transformed into several streaks of light, fleeing in different directions. Scattering like this offered the highest chance of survival.

As for which unlucky bastard Gu Qingfeng would choose to catch, that was unknown. Whoever got caught could only blame their own bad luck.

However, they had underestimated Gu Qingfeng, who was now an Immortal Lord, especially after he had acquired the nine-lifetime foundation of the eternal number one, Lin Daoxuan.

Gu Qingfeng revealed a sinister smirk. With a point of his sword fingers, Lin Daoxuan's Heavenly Heart Dao Sword immediately split into thousands of copies, shooting out across the void.

In merely an instant, Immortal Lord Qijue and the others, who had just vanished into the void, were forced back out. They tumbled from the void one by one, their eyes filled with horror.

He finally drew his sword! The expression on Immortal Lord Qijue's face was very complex, containing fear, emotion, and even nostalgia.

It seemed there was a sense of pride in being able to force him to use his sword.

Gu Qingfeng's mouth twitched. He really wanted to say, This Emperor is not Lin Daoxuan, but he knew very well that no one would believe him if he did.

Whatever. He was tired. Just destroy them.

Holding the Heavenly Heart Dao Sword, he swung a strike.

Swish!

Heaven and earth shook, like a sudden clap of thunder erupting from the flat ground.

A dazzling sword light soared into the sky. Wherever it passed, the void collapsed. It carried a world-dominating might that left everyone present trembling in fear.

Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array!!

Immortal Lord Qijue roared and, once again borrowing the power of the other Immortal Lords, unleashed his third ultimate technique.

Known as the pinnacle of arrays and flames in the world, the Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array represented the dual apex of both the Dao of Arrays and the Dao of Fire. It could be used for offense or defense, for battling enemies or refining artifacts.

Boom!

Divine flames raged, and blinding golden light shot out in all directions.

A barrier of light burning with golden flames enveloped the group.

The next moment, the sword light clashed with the Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array, instantly producing a violent shockwave.

Although the Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array teetered on the verge of collapse, it successfully blocked the sword strike.

To be honest, if Immortal Lord Qijue and the others hadn't suffered the karmic backlash, in terms of pure strength, they wouldn't necessarily be much weaker than Gu Qingfeng.

After all, Immortal Lord Qijue could be considered the number two person throughout the ages, second only to Lin Daoxuan.

But now, with one side waning and the other waxing, they were already spent forces at the end of their ropes.

Gu Qingfeng was not surprised that they could block his sword, because he had long learned of Immortal Lord Qijue's strength from Lin Daoxuan's memories.

This person could be said to be Lin Daoxuan's number one rival; he was the strongest enemy he had encountered over ten epochs, bar none.

Even Lin Daoxuan himself knew that if it weren't for his multiple reincarnations and profound foundation, it would have been uncertain who would win or lose in that battle against Immortal Lord Qijue.

Gu Qingfeng struck with his sword again, continuously slashing out sword after sword, just like before.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Streaks of dazzling sword light bombarded the Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array like a heavenly god beating a war drum. The sound boomed like thunder, kicking up a monstrous storm of brilliant light rain.

That peerless divine might could be felt even outside the First Star Ruin, making countless experts' hearts pound in fear. Many people had already fled the First Star Ruin at top speed long before the great battle began.

It was simply because the commotion of the battle was too terrifying. It faintly surpassed the bounds of the Immortal Lord realm, rendering this world unable to endure it.

Although many knew it was unlikely, they still harbored a lingering fear that this battle would sink the entire First Star Ruin, so they fled in droves.

After several sword strikes, a trace of impatience flashed through Gu Qingfeng's eyes, and he decided to get a bit serious.

In an instant, he swung nine times. Nine streaks of dazzling sword light practically overlapped with one another, each strike containing the supreme profound truths of the Sword Dao that Lin Daoxuan had once comprehended.

Boom!

When the first strike landed, its terrifying might instantly caused a crack to appear on the Profound Heaven Blazing Fire Array.

Soon after, the crack spread. One could clearly see dense, spiderweb-like fractures emerging on the surface of the massive, dome-like array.

"This..."

Immortal Lord Qijue and the others stared in absolute horror, their eyes so wide they practically split at the seams. Their hearts leaped into their throats from the sheer shock. Without needing to exchange a single word, every one of them desperately poured their spiritual power into the array, halting the signs of the Profound Heaven Li Fire Formation's collapse.