The gazes of the cultivators across the Congyun Sea inevitably fell upon the two of them.
Seeing how gravely wounded they both were, a sliver of greed stirred in their hearts. After all, which cultivator could resist the temptation of Dao Unity?
Just as a treacherous atmosphere began to spread among the watching cultivators, the two figures at the center of attention began to fight without a word.
With the barrier erected by Immortal Venerable Jin Ri and Immortal Eminence Zi Yun gone, Crimson Flame was no longer sealed from heaven and earth. The onlookers quicky noticed that where it previously had been flickering like a candle in the wind, on the verge of extinguishing, Crimson Flame was now visibly deepening and intensifying in hue, burning with renewed ferocity.
Zhang Zhiliang had clearly noticed this the instant it happened.
A vast eye materialized above his head, its icy, profound gaze fixed directly upon Crimson Flame.
The dance of the flames surrounding Crimson Flame hitched for a moment, though it quickly resumed its normal rhythm. But every spectator could see that Its rate of recovery had been affected.
Yet It would not simply wait for death. The flames around the Crimson Flame abruptly contracted, and in an instant, It reverted to Its form of a crimson particle.
It shot across the sky like a crimson thread, arriving before Zhang Zhiliang in a flash.
Just as It was about to pierce through him, tens of thousands of silver Array Crowns assembled in the space ahead. Pinpricks of silver light flickered.
The crimson thread extended forward relentlessly, seeking to annihilate Zhang Zhiliang.
Yet, though the distance measured mere inches, it felt as vast as the horizon, utterly unreachable.
It was the same Two Poles Subtle Dust Array he had used earlier to trap the Immortal Eminences.
It proved just as effective now.
After a moment, the Crimson Flame ceased Its futile efforts, reshaping Itself into human form.
As if howling at the heavens, hundreds of crimson rays of light erupted from Its body in an instant. They shot outwards, streaking towards different areas of the surrounding space.
Boom!
Boom!
Over a hundred silver Array Crowns shattered amidst the fiery light. But replacement Array Crowns immediately emerged from the darkness, instantly filling the gaps.
Crimson Flame launched attack after attack, yet the speed at which It destroyed the Array Crowns was far outstripped by Zhang Zhiliang's speed in replenishing them.
And Zhang Zhiliang was not one to simply endure attacks without retaliation.
While Crimson Flame was trying to break free from the array, the reverse Spirit Gathering Array was activated once more.
Within the sealed airspace, the concentration of spiritual qi plummeted sharply again. Immediately after, countless Array Crowns flashed in sequence, one array after another activated within the enclosed region.
Beams of destructive light shot forth from the Array Crowns, bombarding Crimson Flame without pause.
Even if It effortlessly dodged ninety-nine out of every hundred beams, even if the ones that struck It inflicted only minor wounds...the Array Crowns numbered far too many.
The destructive light came ceaselessly, as if it cost nothing.
The wounds accumulated gradually. Crimson Flame, who had barely begun to recover, grew increasingly feeble.
Crimson Flame was truly pitiable. For all Its formidable martial prowess, faced with this seemingly endless war of attrition, It could only lament It helplessness and await Its doom.
As Crimson Flame's form grew dimmer and dimmer, some of the cultivators observing from the Congyun Sea began to grow restless.
"Fellow Daoists! Crimson Flame nears Its end, and Zhang Zhiliang is at the end of his strength. This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
"Indeed. Even if he is a Spirit Transformation cultivator, after such successive battles, his power must be greatly diminished. If we all rush him together, we might still have a chance at victory!"
"Zhang Zhiliang, in his pursuit of Dao Unity, dared to openly murder the Myriad Immortals Island Master and challenge the dignity of the Myriad Immortals Alliance! His crimes are unforgivable!"
"Fellow Daoists, attack!"
Voices from unknown origins echoed above Myriad Immortals Island.
Their words seemed to hold a certain logic.
The cultivators looked at each other, then collectively turned their gazes to Zhang Zhiliang, hovering in the sky, his robes in tatters.
The silence lasted only a moment.
Then, someone responded.
A pitch-black iron claw shot up from the island, reaching Zhang Zhiliang in an instant, lashing out with a vicious grab.
It was like a signal flare. That black iron claw sounded the clarion call for the collective assault on Zhang Zhiliang.
In a flash, thousands of beams of light erupted from below, all flying skyward.
Zhang Zhiliang's expression remained unchanged, his gaze sweeping coldly across them.
His figure vanished in an instant, and the tens of thousands of Array Crowns also activated, releasing beams of light to intercept the attacks.
"Fellow Daoists, attack the giant eye in the sky first!"
Following another shout, countless more beams of light shot into the sky, aiming for the colossal eye.
The trapped Crimson Flame, seemingly sensing this rare opportunity, launched a counterattack.
Flames erupted continuously from Its body, shattering Array Crowns one after another.
Faced with the combined assault from Crimson Flame and the other cultivators, Zhang Zhiliang gradually began to struggle, realizing he could delay no longer.
He appeared behind Crimson Flame in an instant. Before It, a silver cube materialized—then another, then ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand...
But unlike before, the Array Crowns did not cluster together. Instead, they began to fuse.
Countless silver cubes turned ethereal in the blink of an eye, superimposing one upon another, starting from the first Array Crown.
In what felt like a single breath, the fusion was complete.
The sky full of Array Crowns, brilliant as stars, was reduced to just one in the blink of an eye.
The Unlimited Art... Li Fan's avatar couldn't help but feel a surge of awe as he watched the single, radiant Array Crown shimmering in the sky, faintly emitting a golden light.
A single Array Crown was formed by the superimposition of over a hundred individual arrays.
With Li Fan's current level in the array path, he could barely construct half an Array Crown.
Precisely because of this, he could better comprehend just how terrifying it was for Zhang Zhiliang to so effortlessly superimpose tens of thousands of Array Crowns, each already layered with hundreds of arrays, once more, merging millions into one.
Zhang Zhiliang's mastery of the array path in this life has likely reached the pinnacle. He far surpasses his previous self from my past life. The thought flashed through Li Fan's mind.
In the sky, from the fully formed golden Array Crown, a beam of world-shaking white light erupted.
"Annihilate!" With Zhang Zhiliang's furious roar, the white light swallowed everything in its path.
Even from a great distance, everyone could sense the terrifying destructive power within that beam, and they involuntarily ceased their attacks.
He consumed all one million arrays to unleash that final strike. It was an all-or-nothing gamble. But judging by the might of that white light, Zhang Zhiliang should have succeeded, right?
Li Fan stared intently at the sky.
Countless cultivators across the Congyun Sea held their breath.
The white light gradually dissipated.
Crimson Flame was gone. Only Zhang Zhiliang remained, hands clasped behind his back, standing proudly alone.
Flickering crimson flames now replaced his tattered robes.
The pressure of a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable emanated from the heavens, proclaiming that he, Zhang Zhiliang, had succeeded in attaining Dao Unity!
The Congyun Sea went utterly silent. At this moment, the gaze of every living being was fixed upon him.
Zhang Zhiliang wore a smile, his lips parting slightly as if he were about to speak.
Then, his head exploded.
The headless body turned slightly, as if still trying to comprehend what had happened.
But specks of ink-black darkness spread from the wound, devouring everything.