What did he intend to do?
Every cultivator on Myriad Immortals Island focused their attention on this Golden Core Dharma Body.
The same thought flashed through their minds simultaneously. But then, they all dismissed this unrealistic notion.
Did he, a Golden Core cultivator, plan to slaughter a Dao Unity entity? No one would even dare to dream of such a thing.
And yet... Zhang Haobo did!
His body had expanded to its limit, towering like a mountain.
Gazing at Crimson Flame and the five Spirit Transformation Immortal Eminences locked in fierce combat not far away in the sky, a peculiar expression crossed his face.
He extended his left hand, and a deep blue water droplet appeared in his palm.
With a mix of gratitude and nostalgia in his eyes, Zhang Haobo's gaze hardened with resolve.
He clenched his fist abruptly, and the blue water droplet exploded with a thunderous roar.
Endless blue light surged forth, absorbed by Zhang Haobo.
The Congyun Sea below instantly seemed to boil, and waves rose without wind.
Amid the churning waves, countless blue points of light sped toward Zhang Haobo.
His body instantly swelled several times larger. Like a primordial giant, his head touched the dark heavens, his feet planted firmly on the blue sea. His eyes were level with Crimson Flame.
Zhang Haobo gazed at the familiar figure before him and spoke in a clear, resonant voice.
"You destroyed my homeland! You burned my kin!"
He paused, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
"You... shall taste my sword!"
A dazzling blue light suddenly erupted between sky and sea. Its radiance outshone even the sun in the sky, forcing every cultivator watching the scene to shut their eyes instinctively.
Zhang Haobo transformed his very body into a sword, slashing forward. Fearless of death, he charged ahead with unwavering resolve!
"I have waited sixteen years to unleash this strike!"
The attacks of the five Immortal Eminences descended like a sudden storm, growing increasingly violent, pinning Crimson Flame in place.
In the split second that followed, the blue sword phantom traversed layers of spatial barriers and struck Crimson Flame!
It pierced through Its body, its momentum undiminished, continuing to fly into the distance.
Zhang Haobo had returned to his normal size. But everything below his waist had completely dissipated. Only his upper body remained, floating in the air.
His hands clamped tightly onto Crimson Flame, refusing to let go. Under the pure, scorching Law of Flame, his Dharma Body melted like a candle, gradually dissolving.
Soon, his face had become blurred and twisted. Yet he never loosened his grip.
Zhang Haobo smiled once more and spoke his final words.
"Actually, I lied to you earlier.
"I... still have twenty-seven more swords."
Before his voice faded, towering waves surged and roared with deafening fury across the Congyun Sea.
This was not merely Zhang Haobo's power—it was the will of the entire Congyun Sea itself. The heavens sought to burn the sea, but the sea refused to yield.
And so... I possess twenty-eight Congyun Swords!
The remaining twenty-seven blue rays of light formed in an instant. They blotted out the sky and illuminated all living beings.
Targeting Crimson Flame, whom Zhang Haobo had locked in place, they arrived in the blink of an eye.
Twenty-seven swords pierced through Its body, causing blue fissures to appear across Crimson Flame's translucent form.
It silently watched Zhang Haobo, who still clung to It, nearly completely melted. Its expression was unreadable.
Then, the flames abruptly dimmed. The crimson figure grew increasingly transparent, like ice dissolving in water, slowly fading away.
At the same time, Zhang Haobo, who had been reduced to only half a head, suddenly radiated an overwhelmingly powerful aura.
A body woven from flames began to form beneath his head. A wave of pressure manifested simultaneously.
The five Immortal Eminences were forced to reveal their forms and descend to the sea's surface.
Even the brilliance of the sun in the sky dimmed in comparison.
Flames danced around him as Zhang Haobo's body finally took complete shape. He gazed down at all living beings in the Congyun Sea, his face devoid of joy or sorrow.
A new Dao Unity Immortal Venerable had been born.
On Myriad Immortals Island, silence reigned.
Every cultivator stared blankly, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
"A Dao Unity Immortal Venerable... a Dao Unity Immortal Venerable who cultivated for only sixteen years..." They murmured to themselves, unable to contain their disbelief.
Even Li Fan, the mastermind behind it all, stared at the figure in the sky with astonishment.
He actually... did it?
The Congyun Sea churned with towering waves, as if celebrating the birth of the new Immortal Venerable and its own narrow escape from calamity.
The gaze of every living being was now fixed on the Dao Unity Immortal Venerable, Zhang Haobo.
Reverence, envy, fear... countless emotions surged forth in that moment.
Then it happened.
A thin black thread silently pierced through Zhang Haobo's chest.
Behind him, a figure composed entirely of dense ink manifested from nothingness.
The moment every living being in the Congyun Sea laid eyes upon this ink-black figure, their souls trembled beyond control.
And thus, they came to know Its name—Ink Death.
Zhang Haobo strained to turn his head in stunned disbelief, only to discover he could no longer move.
His life force vanished in an instant.
Zhang Haobo was dead!