Legend of Swordsman

However, he still put on a face of consideration for his reputation, snorted coldly at the two guards, and walked into the hall.

Jian Wushuang, on the other hand, waited outside the hall.

There were quite a few people like him.

These were the attendants of powerful True Immortals and Dao Lords.

But none of them were weak.

Jian Wushuang, to avoid suspicion, deliberately disguised himself as an Immortal, though his level was only around a Five-step True Immortal.

Compared to the attendants of Seven-step or even Eight-step True Immortals nearby, he was far inferior.

Those people had their own small circles and were discussing matters of the outside world.

One sharp-eyed Eight-step True Immortal, having just seen Jian Wushuang with Guardian Yunhai, approached and said, “Fellow Daoist, you seem unfamiliar!”

“It’s my first time following Guardian Yunhai into the Divine Mountain,” Jian Wushuang replied with composure.

From that alone, people immediately felt that his background was not simple, and a few proactively came forward to strike up a conversation.

They were all trying to probe for information about Yang Dingtian’s siege on the Two-faced Divine Mountain.

After all, since it was their side being besieged, everyone was a bit anxious.

They feared the great formation might not hold against Yang Dingtian.

That concern was valid, as the formation could indeed be breached.

Yang Dingtian, by burning his Immortal power, could break the great formation outside the mountain. But there was another formation outside the temple at the mountain’s peak, which was much more difficult to break.

Until now, Yang Dingtian had not attacked the formation. Instead, he was sweeping through the outskirts, intercepting any True Immortals from gathering within the Two-faced Divine Palace.

“It seems Yang Dingtian is serious this time, intending to take everything in one go!” Jian Wushuang chuckled inwardly.

He hadn’t expected this guy to be so protective.

For the sake of his brother, he actually came to kill, intending to wipe out the entire Two-faced Divine Palace in one fell swoop.

He was a ruthless man.

Just as Jian Wushuang was judging Yang Dingtian, the Two-faced Buddha inside the temple also began to show his ruthlessness.

Inside the hall, all the Dao Lords and Nine-step True Immortals had gathered.

There were at least a hundred of them.

Among them, more than twenty were Dao Lords, and over seventy were Nine-step True Immortals.

This was twice as powerful as the publicly known strength of the Two-faced Divine Palace.

In the outside world, it was believed that the Two-faced Divine Palace had no more than ten Dao Lords.

There were no more than thirty Nine-Step True Immortals.

Yet at this moment, so many powerful figures had gathered here.

The additional strong figures stood on one side, while the old faction stood on the other.

The old faction kept staring at the newly arrived group of powerhouses, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Sitting at the head, the Dual-Faced Buddha appeared calm, though his earlier words had been anything but.

This battle must be fought!

And clearly stated—it was a fight to the death.

Either drive away Yang Dingtian, or everyone would perish together.

Those were the only two choices they had.

Although the current Dual-Faced Divine Palace was powerful, twice as strong as before, outside there were sixty or so Dao Lords gathered.

Among them were some exceptionally powerful Dao Lords, like Granny Yinhua and the Lord of Tiantan City.

Even Yang Dingtian’s companion was among the top twenty in combat power.

If it came to a fight to the death, they wouldn’t be able to win.

Being able to rely on their great formation to defend the mountain would already be an achievement.

The Dual-Faced Buddha kept his joyful face turned toward everyone, so he remained composed, speaking gently, “I know all of you are a little scared, thinking we don’t have much hope, and maybe it would be better to charge out together!”

When he finished speaking, no one dared to raise their head.

Don’t be fooled by the joyful expression of the Dual-Faced Buddha; it was because he was showing his joyful face.

He was called the Dual-Faced Buddha because he had two faces.

Normally, he would show his joyful face to people, but during battle, his ferocious face would appear.

It was a face that struck terror in anyone who saw it.

It was known as the Face of Slaughter.

In the Buddhist path, the two faces were joy and sorrow.

However, the Dual-Faced Buddha felt no sorrow. He only knew joy and slaughter.

Or rather, slaughter brought him joy.

The two faces complemented each other.

Slaughter brought him joy, and his joyful face aided him in comprehending the Dao.

The secret technique of Dual-Faced Buddhism had been refined, creating a supreme powerhouse.

Facing his joyful side, no one dared to contradict him, let alone face his slaughtering side.

The Dual-Faced Buddha didn’t look at the expressions of the crowd and continued, “The reason I advocate staying is not to send you to your deaths, but because I have a plan!”

Upon hearing that the Dual-Faced Buddha had a plan, the old faction showed excitement.

“We knew all along that the Palace Lord must have a backup plan, otherwise why would he have gathered so many Immortal beings?” Guardian Yunhai didn’t miss the chance to flatter him.

After all, he still had his brother-in-law status.

The Dual-Faced Buddha ignored him and casually took out a mustard seed and tossed it to Guardian Qifeng.

“Within this mustard seed are ten Boundless Five Immortal Arrays. Five Nine-Step True Immortals and five hundred True Immortals above the Seven-Step are needed to operate them. The core is powered by divine power, and your own immortal power can be burned to amplify the formation. Even without burning your immortal power, just using the divine power within will be enough to rival a Dao Lord like the Lord of Tiantan!”

These words left everyone astonished!

This kind of formation was unheard of.

If what the Dual-Faced Buddha said was true, its value would be immense.

Five Nine-Step True Immortals and five hundred Seven-Step True Immortals—if there weren’t enough Seven-Step True Immortals, they could substitute Eight-Step True Immortals, with one Eight-Step True Immortal equal to ten Seven-Step True Immortals. By this calculation, fifty-five individuals could operate the formation.

With the Boundless Five Immortal Array, they could rival even the top twenty Dao Lords of the Ancient Sea Domain.

No!

Not just rival, but match and even suppress!

Hidden in the shadows, Jian Wushuang’s thought power overheard this and he was delighted.

It was now undeniable that the other side had acquired treasures from that foreign powerhouse.

This could be considered a gain!

Although there had been many guesses before, the only observable evidence had been the Dual-Faced Buddha’s fluctuating strength.

Now, upon closer inspection, not only was his strength fluctuating, but even his life force seemed weak.

“Something’s wrong!” Jian Wushuang furrowed his brows.

Just as doubts arose in his heart, another uproar erupted within the hall.

“Another formation!”

The Dual-Faced Buddha took out yet another formation.

“The Emperor’s Annihilation Array!”

Holding up the array, the Dual-Faced Buddha explained patiently, “This formation is even more miraculous, designed for Dao Lords to resist an Emperor!”

The gathered Dao Lords gasped in shock.

Yet, the Dao Lords with unfamiliar faces all remained indifferent.

Or rather, they appeared somewhat numb.

Others couldn’t tell, but Jian Wushuang could sense that these people’s souls were flawed.

Flawed souls would either become dull or fall into a slumber.

These people, however, had formidable auras, suggesting they were likely being controlled.

In simple terms, they were enslaved.

And the only person in the hall capable of enslaving so many Dao Lords and Nine-Step True Immortals was the Dual-Faced Buddha.

At this moment, the Dual-Faced Buddha spoke again, “Zhuyin, this Emperor’s Annihilation Array will be yours to wield. You will be responsible for dealing with Yang Dingtian!”

“Yes!”

From the unfamiliar faces, a beautiful yet eerie woman stepped forward without hesitation. She immediately refined the array with skilled hands.

This formation required nine Dao Lords to assist in its operation.