The three celestial swords danced through the sword domain, reaching their maximum speed. They struck with lethal intent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Astral Lord Wei Jian and the two other quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses defended with every ounce of their strength.

As the two sides clashed, the aftershocks rippled out for a million li even under the suppression of the sword domain, shaking the very fabric of space.

The terrifying might of those sword lights forced the three mighty powerhouses to stumble back. Astral Lord Wei Jian and his companions were close to having their defenses breached, teetering on the brink of doom.

As body refiners, Archdeities excelled in close combat. But with their weapons blasted away, and bereft of artifacts like shields to mitigate the impact, their battle armor and deity bodies alone couldn't withstand the onslaught for long.

"Flee!"

"Run, quick!" Astral Lord Wei Jian transmitted urgently, and the other two Astral Lords likewise yearned to escape.

But the sword domain formed by the other six celestial swords exerted a terrifying pressure, drastically reducing the speed of the three powerhouses and making it difficult for them to break free.

How swift were battles between powerhouses of this caliber? One could say that without external aid, even if Astral Lord Wei Jian and his two companions split up to flee, at least one or two would inevitably perish.

"Assemble the arrays immediately. Surround and attack with full force!" The commander in charge of the Core Region of the Snowlight Mist Realm, Astral Monarch Jiu Xue, instantly issued orders through the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm: "Ming Jian's strength is formidable. Astral Lord Wei Jian and the others have no hope of capturing him by themselves."

The purpose of gathering these thousand Astral Lords wasn’t for them to engage in one-to-one combat. If they fought as disorganized individuals, a single Astral Monarch could easily slaughter tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Astral Lords. But if they united as one, several hundred Astral Lords could contend with an Astral Monarch.

"Understood!"

"Assemble the arrays." The numerous late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses who had gathered in various regions of the void had long arranged themselves in their array formations. Upon receiving the command, they immediately sprang into action.

Whoosh~

On one side of the void, with a quasi-Astral Monarch as the core of an array and dozens of late-stage Astral Lords as extensions, layers of fiery radiance bloomed across their bodies.

In an instant, a massive fireball over a million li in diameter materialized in the void. Its scorching heat warped space itself, completely enveloping the dozens of powerhouses within. Its might shook the heavens!

The terrifying aura of this fireball caused even Wu Yuan to furrow his brow slightly. Though called a fireball, in truth, it was a thousand times more terrifying than an ordinary star in the vast outer space.

It was worth noting that High Immortals and High Deities were not afraid of venturing into stars in outer space. If they used their full power, they could destroy a star with several hundred consecutive attacks.

However, even a hint of the power emanating from this fireball formed by the dozens of Astral Lords could annihilate Archimmortals and Archdeities.

The Heavenly Fire Array?

Wu Yuan mused to himself.

With the vast knowledge he had acquired, he had some understanding of the Dao Realm's most powerful arrays. This was a mighty celestial battle array formed by thirty-six powerhouses.

In theory, the more participants, the more terrifying the array's power. But on the flip side, more participants also meant more vulnerabilities, making it easier to breach. After all, the array controllers had varied strengths and intentions.

At higher cultivation phases, the differences between powerhouses grew more pronounced, making it harder to achieve unity. Thus, even Archimmortals typically formed arrays with nine or eighteen controllers. One with thirty-six was exceedingly rare.

The most common arrays maxed out at fifty-five controllers. And Archdeity arrays usually had even fewer controllers, naturally resulting in weaker power.

This was why the Devil Subduing Tome was considered among the pinnacle of Dao Instruments. It could unite 550 Astral Monarchs via the Myriad Devils Grand Array, unleashing immense power.

Of course, this required all Astral Monarchs to be of one mind with the Devil Subduing Tome, leaving a trace of their animus upon it.

The Heavenly Fire Array before them, while far from comparable to the Myriad Devils Grand Array, had fewer requirements for assembly, needing only a mid-grade celestial array disk.

The moment this Heavenly Fire Array took shape, the hundreds of Astral Lords surrounding Wu Yuan assembled one powerful battle array after another.

The Heavenly Fire Array, specializing in offense.

The Five Elements Array, excelling in defense.

The True Domain River Array, adept at entrapment and restraint.

Nearly twenty battle arrays were formed in total, each with earth-shaking might. It was as if almost twenty super powerhouses had gathered in a joint assault on Wu Yuan.

Nine of the arrays were particularly formidable, each led by a quasi-Astral Monarch of the qi refining lineage.

Among the twelve quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses, three were Archdeities, and nine were Archimmortals.

These arrays were the reason Astral Monarch Jiu Xue was confident in capturing Wu Yuan in one go.

The moment the three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses found themselves in danger, the numerous battle arrays had already assembled.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Though Wu Yuan had displayed formidable strength, the many powerhouses of the Myriad Waves Palace were still filled with confidence. Once their arrays were formed, they immediately flew over to attack Wu Yuan.

Boom!

The Heavenly Fire Array, the strongest overall and most adept at offense, surged forward like a shooting star, sweeping across millions of li and rolling toward Wu Yuan's sword domain.

An array formed by one quasi-Astral Monarch and thirty-five late-stage Astral Lord powerhouses was truly frightening. In terms of offensive power, it had nearly bridged the vast gulf between Astral Lord and Astral Monarch, approaching the level of an Astral Monarch.

Hold!

Wu Yuan controlled his sword domain, choosing to meet the Heavenly Fire Array head-on. His sword domain stretched across a million li, sword qi billowing endlessly.

At this moment, Big Devil and the eight devil marshalls were all secretly observing the battle.

The multitude of Astral Lords within the Myriad Waves Palace's battle arrays watched from afar.

In the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm, Sovereign Mo Lang and his subordinate Astral Monarchs were also spectating.

Rumble!

With a heaven-shattering, earth-rending explosion, the Heavenly Fire Array's might shook the heavens. Endless flames incinerated the void, causing the sword domain to crumble the instant it made contact.

"Excellent!"

"That Ming Jian indeed cannot withstand it." This scene filled the many Astral Lords of the Myriad Waves Palace with joy and excitement.

What a formidable battle array, Chaotic Void.

Wu Yuan didn’t show a hint of panic.

With a mere thought, the three mid-grade celestial artifact flying swords attacking independently immediately integrated into the sword domain. The nine swords transformed, instantly executing the fifth step of the Nine Swords of Spacetime — Chaotic Void.

The nine flying swords interwove, leaving lingering sword marks across the void. In an instant, it was as if the very heavens had been torn asunder.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the sword lights intertwined, the sword domain's power surged. Streams of sword light fell upon the Heavenly Fire Array, extinguishing layer after layer of flames. The massive Heavenly Fire Array showed signs of collapse in an instant.

The outcome was clear!

However, while the Heavenly Fire Array excelled at offense, it was also extremely resilient. Its defense far surpassed that of an Archdeity at the quasi-Astral Monarch level, allowing it to barely withstand the attack.

But under the all-out attack from Wu Yuan's mana body, the three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses who had been trapped earlier were not so fortunate.

"No!"

"Damn it, how can the mere sword lights of his sword domain be this powerful?" Astral Lord Wei Jian and his companions couldn't believe it, struggling desperately to resist.

This time, without celestial swords specifically targeting them, the myriad sword lights generated within the sword domain completely engulfed the three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses.

Each strand of sword light had reached the level of a quasi-Astral Monarch.

In an instant, it was as if dozens of powerhouses of the same level had surrounded them. How could Astral Lord Wei Jian and the others withstand it?

Slash!

In the blink of an eye, the three Archdeities who had reached the level of quasi-Astral Monarchs perished utterly. Only a multitude of artifacts remained.

So much Genesis Power.

Wu Yuan murmured to himself. As he slew the ether bodies of the three quasi-Astral Monarch powerhouses, blood mist-like Genesis Power surged forth from the black pagoda in his upper dantian lobe like a tidal wave. It was exactly what Wu Yuan urgently needed.

Just killing three produced this much blood mist. What if I killed dozens more?

Wu Yuan's gaze fell upon the distant Heavenly Fire Array.

…

"Impressive!"

"Interweaving Space and Time, Master's swordsmanship is incredibly exquisite." Inside the Black Devil Blood Hollow, Big Devil marveled at the sword domain Wu Yuan exhibited.

"This sword strike already approaches our level." The short Astral Monarch Ninth Devil sighed: "In terms of pure power and profoundness, Master's swordsmanship still falls short of ours, but it excels in its unpredictability. The fusion of Space and Time makes it hard to defend against."

"Spacetime sword." The other devil marshalls couldn't help but comment.

Their mana bodies and ether bodies accompanied Wu Yuan, but their true selves remained within the Black Devil Blood Hollow. At first, they had some concerns, but now their minds were at ease.

"There are too many enemies."

"So many battle arrays."

"Master's mana power is still too weak. Even employing the Black Devil Blood Sacrifice wouldn't be nearly enough." The eight devil marshalls conversed, their eyes sharp and discerning.

…

"His sword domain."

"How formidable!"

"Astral Lord Wei Jian and the other two are dead?" The expressions of the many Astral Monarchs observing in the Spacetime Immortal Voidrealm changed.

Though they couldn't sense the profound intricacies of the sword technique's power, the instantaneous slaughter of three quasi-Astral Monarchs and its ability to withstand the Heavenly Fire Divine Array’s attack were undeniable.

The fifth step.

Sovereign Mo Lang sat high upon his throne, his gaze cold as ice. He recognized the profundities imbued in the sword lights of the sword domain.

His heart sank further. Executing the fifth step with such proficiency clearly indicated a Dao comprehension approaching the late-stage Astral Monarch level.

Combined with the mana of a seventh-stage Archimmortal, his power had reached a terrifying degree.

"Astral Lord Yan Yu, immediately lead your True Domain River Array to the front and rescue the Heavenly Fire Divine Array," Astral Monarch Jiu Xue urged anxiously, gesturing from afar. "Trap Ming Jian, entangle him. His mana won't last for long."

Among the three great battle arrays, the True Domain River Array was most adept at encirclement and restraint, and was also the most resilient!

The battle arrays began to move.

The one nearest to Wu Yuan resembled a vast, flowing river – the True Domain River Array!

"Trap him." As Astral Monarch Jiu Xue gave the order, Astral Lord Yan Yu led the battle array toward the sword domain, intending to alleviate the pressure on the Heavenly Fire Divine Array.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two battle arrays attacked simultaneously, instantly putting tremendous strain on the sword domain. At the same time, more battle arrays were rapidly approaching.

Relying on my mana body alone won't be enough to withstand this.

Wu Yuan's gaze turned icy as watched the battle arrays charging towards him through the void.