Facing the radiance of Archbishop Xumi's Chaos Annihilation Buddha Light, Taiyi remained entirely unhurried as he spoke.

Seeing him remain composed in the face of danger, Archbishop Xumi frowned deeply.

"Hmph, still acting tough with death at your doorstep."

"This old monk will subdue you demon right now!"

"Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon! Great Luo Mantra! Borrowing the Law of Heaven and Earth! Boundless Universe!"

Archbishop Xumi summoned the mount sumeru seal from Demon Buddha Zhunti's hand, immediately injecting rays of Chaos Annihilation Buddha Light into it.

When the moment was right, he slammed it down toward Taiyi with lightning speed.

In an instant, a Five Finger Mountain materialized in the Chaotic Void.

Meanwhile, Taiyi's figure had completely vanished.

"Hmph, is this old monk's Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon so easily dismissed?"

"A mere monstrous talent dares to rebel and cause havoc?"

"This old monk told you long ago: in this world, no one can withstand three rounds of my Buddha Dharma."

Archbishop Xumi held the mount sumeru seal in one hand and prayer beads in the other, sneering darkly.

Just then.

The Mount Sumeru suppressing the Chaos suddenly detonated into pieces.

Immediately after, Taiyi's figure reappeared, completely unharmed.

He looked at Archbishop Xumi, whose expression had drastically changed, with a half-smile on his face.

"Holy Monk Xumi, was it? Well, someone who can withstand your three rounds of Buddha Dharma has appeared."

Seeing that Taiyi didn't have a scratch on him, Archbishop Xumi's expression turned quite marvelous.

"Hmph! Even if you managed to escape this old monk's Chaos Annihilation Buddha Light once, do you think you can escape a second time?"

"Holy Sumeru Seal, suppress him!"

Archbishop Xumi frantically poured Chaos Annihilation Buddha Light into the mount sumeru seal in his hand once more.

Then, he slammed it down brutally toward Taiyi.

"I fell for your trick once; did you really think I'd fall for your tricks every time, you bald donkey?"

"Break!"

Looking at the suppressing Holy Sumeru Seal, Taiyi sneered coldly.

He directly deployed the Chaos Bell above his head to protect his body.

Immediately following that, he unleashed the Thirty-Three Heavens Creation Divine Fist, striking out with a boom.

Boom!

The previously invincible Chaos Annihilation Buddha Light instantly collapsed in defeat.

Archbishop Xumi's face changed instantly.

He had no choice but to temporarily recall the mount sumeru seal.

"Taiyi, do not be so arrogant!"

"Holy Monk Xumi, we are here to lend you a hand!"

The eight-part futu pagoda formed by the Eight Dragon Gods arrived in an instant once more, shooting out rays of Futu Divine Light to bind Taiyi's combat power.

Archbishop Xumi seized the opportunity to rejoin the fray, cooperating with the eight-part futu pagoda to besiege Taiyi.

"Come at me!"

"Today, I will wipe out all you monsters and demons in one fell swoop!"

"Watch me turn the tide with a single hand!"

Facing the relentless attacks from both the Chaos Spiritual Treasure projection, the eight-part futu pagoda, and Holy Monk Xumi's force, Taiyi instead laughed wildly with heroic vigor, growing braver and fiercer the more he fought.

Ceasing his laughter,

Taiyi spoke to the Four Saints—Nuwa, Houtu, Yang Mei, and Rahu—who had arrived behind him.

"Sister Nuwa, Yang Mei, the four of you form the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and guard the gateway to the Primordial World for me!"

"Today, this deity will refine every single one of these invading Eight Dragon Gods!"

"Turning them into nourishment for my advancement!"

Swish!

In an instant.

Four world-shining longswords gleaming with Law auroras suddenly materialized within the Chaos.

Arranging themselves in the four directions: east, west, south, and north.

They faintly enveloped the entire eight-part futu pagoda and Holy Monk Xumi within.

Sensing that heaven-filling, earth-stuffing slaughter aura, the Eight Dragon Gods and Holy Monk Xumi all turned pale.

"What intense Killing Intent!"

Both the Eight Dragon Gods and Holy Monk Xumi were thoroughly alarmed.

The name of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was famous throughout the Primordial World, resounding like thunder in everyone's ears.

Although Holy Monk Xumi and the Eight Dragon Gods were unfamiliar with it, merely coming into contact with the terrifying Killing Intent unleashed by the deployed Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation felt like thorns on their backs, piercingly cold to the bone.

Back in the day, the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was a peerless weapon used by Great God Pangu to slay the Three Thousand Chaos Demon Gods.

Using it to suppress a mere few outer-realm Chaos Dragons was completely using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Not to mention, the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation in Taiyi's hands today was vastly different and far superior to the original held by Tongtian Jiaozhu.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation in Taiyi's hands was an enhanced version upgraded by the System.

While the original formation could be broken by Four Saints, the current one would require the combined strength of at least eight Saints; otherwise, one would likely be suppressed inside it forever.

Taiyi didn't expect the Four Saints—Nuwa, Houtu, Yang Mei, and Rahu—to successfully kill the Eight Dragon Gods and Holy Monk Xumi.

He only needed the Four Saints of the Heavenly Court to temporarily pin down the power of the eight-part futu pagoda.

And then—

And then Taiyi could blast this bald donkey Holy Monk to pieces!

Receiving the message from Taiyi, Nuwa and the other Heavenly Court Four Saints felt their Mentals lifted.

Without hesitation, they turned into four beams of light, each merging into one of the Immortal-Slaying longswords.

Instantly, each of the Four Saints of the Heavenly Court held an Immortal-Slaying Sword, wildly slaughtering the Eight Dragon Gods.

Although combining the strength of the Four Saints could not completely break the eight-part futu pagoda in a short time, once the conflict went on and the power of the Eight Dragon Gods was weakened to a certain degree, Taiyi could deal a fatal blow!

But for now, he still had to smash this damned projection of Holy Monk Xumi—projected from a past Chaotic Era—to pieces first!

"You're still too naive!"

"Take my Epoch Divine Fist!"

Taiyi grinned, charging directly to strike down Holy Monk Xumi, who looked thoroughly horrified.

Without the restraint of the pseudo-Chaos Spiritual Treasure, the eight-part futu pagoda, Taiyi immediately unleashed his full power, blasting Holy Monk Xumi with everything he had.

He completely overwhelmed him, leaving his opponent powerless to fight back.

Even when he tried his old trick again, attempting to deploy the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Three-Cycle Buddha Dharma to block, it was useless.

Taiyi was prepared and wouldn't be fooled a second time.

Thus, under the dumbfounded gaze of the Primordial Saints like Demon Buddha Zhunti, the previously confident Archbishop Xumi, who had descended with an invincible air, turned into a stray dog beaten beyond retaliation at Taiyi's hands in the blink of an eye.

"Fellow Daoist Zhunti, is this the backer behind the Sumeru Cult you spoke of?"

"It seems your backer isn't very reliable."

Duke of the East's lips twitched as he spoke with a sarcastic sneer.

Demon Buddha Zhunti's eyes twitched violently. He opened his mouth, but ultimately remained speechless.

To be honest, Zhunti was extremely frustrated deep down.

He had thought that after calculating everything and preparing three backup plans, he could definitely turn the tables on Taiyi.

Even if he couldn't completely defeat Taiyi and reclaim authority over the Primordial World, he should at least have seized the initiative in this era and successfully taken over the Investiture of the Gods.

Who could have expected this!

Although they had estimated Taiyi's combat power to be high enough,

only when facing Taiyi directly did they realize just how terrifying his combat power truly was.

He was truly an unkillable cockroach.

The more he fought, the stronger he became!

"This stupid script is impossible to follow!"

"This poor Daoist takes his leave first!"

Without another word, Taishang Laozi called out to Yuanshi Tianzun, mounted his green ox, and fled.

Zhunti and Jieyin's faces darkened.

But they couldn't say much either.

Their defeat was now sealed.

It was no longer a matter of considering how to snatch the Investiture of the Gods from Taiyi,

but rather how to face Taiyi's wrathful retaliation after the battle.

"Cough, cough, well, Fellow Daoist Zhunti, if there's nothing else, this Duke will take his leave as well. There's a mountain of affairs waiting for me at the Purple Mansion Immortal Court!"

Having said that, Duke of the East slipped away directly as well.

In any case, even if Taiyi sought revenge afterward, he would go after the instigators—the Two Sages of the West—first.

Besides, standing behind him was a Dao Ancestor of the Heavenly Dao.

At worst, he would just pay some war reparations.

He wouldn't be in danger of losing his life.

On the other hand, Demon Buddha Zhunti was now in a precarious situation.

One must know that even if the Heavenly Dao Saint, Saint Buddha Jieyin, fell, he could still be resurrected by expending Heavenly Dao Merit.

However, Demon Buddha Zhunti had achieved Saintity through the Demon Buddha Lineage and the Sumeru Sacred Cult's Daoist tradition.

He had attained the status of a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal.

If he died, he would be dead for good.

Zhunti had clearly realized this as well.

He immediately said to his Senior Brother Jieyin, "Senior Brother, as things stand, fleeing is my best option."

"Hide directly within the Mount Sumeru Barrier of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss!"

"There lies a grand protective formation left behind by Holy Monk Xumi, sufficient to shield you!"

Saint Buddha Jieyin added immediately,

urging Zhunti to leave quickly.

Demon Buddha Zhunti took one last look at Holy Monk Xumi's projection, who was still being thrashed by Taiyi.

Gritting his teeth, he turned and fled toward the Western Continent without looking back.

Watching his Junior Brother Zhunti's disappearing figure, Saint Buddha Jieyin sighed helplessly.

"Had I known it would come to this, I would never have done it in the first place."