Wuji explained, "This object is a branch shed by a World Tree. Your Undying Root is similar, except the Undying Root is still alive, while this branch died before it could transform into a heavenly treasure."
"However, even though it's dead, its spiritual essence remains. After being devoured by the Undying Root, it can help the Undying Root break through to a new level."
"And since you are integrated with the Undying Root, you will also advance."
"This object is for you."
With that, Wuji directly tossed the branch to Qingdi. To Wuji, these things seemed ordinary. He acted without the slightest concern.
Qingdi quickly caught it. The moment he touched the withered branch, it seemed to regain a sense of life from its deathly stillness. In Qingdi's body, the Undying Root began to become active.
"Many thanks, Senior." Qingdi was extremely excited.
"Devour it quickly. The enemy is arriving." Wuji said, "It's a good opportunity to handle some matters while there's still some world left."
Upon hearing this, Huangdi's expression changed drastically. Handle what matters? At this moment, he was the only one unwilling to act.
"Huangdi." Wuji spoke, "This is your last chance. Act against a Fifth Tier Heavenly Emperor from the Dark Realm, and I will spare your life."
"Heh heh." Huangdi sneered, "I refuse. Do you really think you can kill me? Believe it or not, I'll immediately switch to the Dark Realm's side and attack the Immortal Domain?"
"Scoundrel." Heidi roared, "You traitor, how dare you be called Huangdi?" Speaking, Heidi assumed a fighting stance. "Senior, allow me to finish him off first..."
"I'll do it," Wuji stopped Heidi. Another voice then rang out, "Young friend Chen Fan, first extract the lifespan from Bai Di."
"Alright." This time, he didn't refuse. He had already agreed to provide some combat strength before the battle, which was only proper.
*Swish.* His figure flickered, appearing on Chaos Mountain.
"Brother." The little one looked at Chen Fan and waved happily. He wanted to run over, but couldn't. The Chaos Mountain seemed to be enveloped by an invisible barrier.
Chen Fan waved his hand. "Wait here obediently, I'll come to you later."
"Okay." The little one indeed stopped running over and happily went to play.
*Whoosh.* Chen Fan took a deep breath. He crouched down and placed his hand on the mountain wall.
*Buzz.* The River of Life and Death appeared. The flowing power of rules surged into Chaos Mountain.
"Roar!" A furious roar exploded in Chen Fan's mind. In his mind, a bizarrely shaped Chaos Beast appeared. This Chaos Beast had six wings, eight tails, and its head... resembled a dragon's, but it had a single horn.
"What kind of Chaos Beast is this?" Chen Fan didn't recognize it. He also had no interest in knowing its name. He was here to extract lifespan.
*Boom.* Endless life force poured into Chaos Mountain. The mountain body was the flesh and blood of the Chaos Beast. Streams of dense life force were rapidly drawn out by the River of Life and Death. The Chaos Beast in his mind roared in fury and began to struggle. But it was useless. Under Wuji's suppression and seal, it couldn't break free.
...
While Chen Fan was extracting the Chaos Beast's life force, Wuji and Huangdi also began to fight. There were no overly grand displays of power. Only Wuji's palm, descending from the sky.
*Rumble.* Heaven and earth collapsed. Huangdi, his face aghast, immediately summoned his Imperial Palace. The light of the earth filled the heavens and earth, expanding to form a barrier, resisting the descending palm.
*Bang.* But the palm pressed directly onto Huangdi's palace. In the next moment, a massive crack spread across the Imperial Palace.
"How is this possible?" Huangdi's face contorted. It was too strong.
"Break!" A trace of terror began to surface in Huangdi's heart. But at this moment, he would not wait to be slaughtered. With a roar, the heavens and earth were suddenly covered by an enormous sun, the only thing illuminating the world. Streams of earth power permeated the surroundings, manifesting as a domain of earth. His own domain, covering all directions. This was the power of a top-tier Fifth Tier Heavenly Emperor. He refused to believe Wuji was truly this powerful.
*Boom.* Wuji's palm descended. Instantly, the palm shattered above the domain.
"Phew." Huangdi breathed a sigh of relief. He had blocked it.
Just as a hint of a smile appeared on Huangdi's face, a sword, an artifact of heaven and earth, suddenly appeared. Silently, the domain shattered. Innumerable earth forces scattered in all directions. In the sky, that sun of earth shattered.
"How is this possible?" Huangdi was terrified. The sword, whose was it? Was it Wuji's? Didn't he never use weapons?
"Damn it." Chen Fan, who was in the process of extracting the Chaos Beast's life force, changed his expression. "My Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!" Yes, this sword was the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. However, the wielder was not Chen Fan, but Wuji. The Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi struggled, unwilling to be used by an outsider. But Wuji was too powerful; no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
"Little friend, my sword is not with me, so I'm borrowing yours." Wuji's voice rang out softly, with a hint of a smile. "As expected of a divine weapon of slaughter. Even not in its complete form, it is so powerful. This divine weapon is certainly not ordinary..." With his vast knowledge, he saw through the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi's origins at a glance.
Without further ado, he raised his hand, lifted the sword, the Sword of Sealing. The energy of the entire Immortal Domain surged with Wuji's raising of the sword. The two grand dao rules of suppression and sealing merged, instantly condensing, and a single slash was unleashed.
*Boom!* This time, Huangdi's domain shattered completely.
"Open!" Below the sword light, Huangdi roared ferociously. As he roared, an incredibly thick rule appeared. That was Huangdi's rule, his earth rule, which instantly coalesced into a colossal puppet. But in the next moment, the puppet shattered. The sword light flashed, and with a thunderous roar, it nearly split the entire Immortal Domain apart.
*Chish.* The sword light continued to spread until the entire domain was shattered. Huangdi's face contorted wildly as he frantically fled. This sword could not be faced head-on.
From afar, Huangdi reappeared, a bloody line extending from his brow to his chest.
"Impossible..." In Huangdi's eyes, there was profound regret. He shouldn't have refused Wuji. Since long ago, he had experienced the man's might. Over the years, he had been improving, thinking he could contend with him. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that while he was improving, Wuji... was also improving.
"Heh heh." A flicker of despair appeared in Huangdi's eyes. "Who... exactly are you?"
"It's not important." Wuji spoke, "And you don't need to know."
"Yes." Huangdi's gaze slowly dimmed. His great dao within his body had been severed by Wuji's sword. He could not survive.
*Bang.* In the next moment, Huangdi's physical body disintegrated. His soul dispersed into heaven and earth.
...
The world instantly fell silent. Huangdi, was dead? In the distance, the only two Heavenly Emperors who hadn't cultivated, Bai Di and Heidi, looked at Wuji with immense solemnity. A despair-inducing power. For all these years, Huangdi had been the absolute number one in the Immortal Domain, yet he could only block Wuji's palm. This sword had killed him in one strike.
*Swish.* Wuji directly released the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. With a flash of light, it returned to Chen Fan's side. The Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi trembled slightly, seemingly a little afraid. That man had actually suppressed its sentience, rendering it unable to resist. Even the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi felt a sense of fear.
"It's okay, it's okay." Chen Fan quickly soothed it. The little guy looked so pitiful.
From afar, Wuji casually grabbed the essence of the shattered Imperial Palace. Everyone watched him with envy. For whom? Wuji said nothing and casually tossed the essence into the River of Origin.
"It's for me?" The Will of the Immortal Domain was overjoyed. That was the essence of Huangdi's Imperial Palace. If he devoured it, he could completely enhance his control over the River of Origin, increasing his strength to break free from the river's restraints.
Just as he was about to devour it, Wuji's voice rang out, "Don't. I'll help you temporarily break free from the river's control. Devour it after this battle."
"Uh... alright." After a moment of surprise, the Will of the Immortal Domain reacted. It didn't matter; it was his anyway. However, he was still a bit confused. "You can help me temporarily break free from the river?"
*Boom.* There was no answer. The shattered essence of the Imperial Palace was directly placed into the river by Chen Fan. In this power, the grand dao of suppression and sealing instantly fused, spreading across the river like a mirror.
"This is..." The Will of the Immortal Domain's face lit up with joy. He felt it; the restraint of the River of Origin on him had disappeared.
"Haha." In the next moment, the Will of the Immortal Domain laughed heartily. "I'm out, I'm finally out..." With a single step, the Will of the Immortal Domain left the River of Origin. For the first time, he walked out unbound.