The Universal Dao

Amid the panic of everyone present, Jiang Yun turned back to face them and spoke in a cold voice, "You stay here. I'll handle this myself. I'll have the elders of the Fallen Heaven Blood Sect prepare certain formations for you to cultivate. Take all your people—children, adults, and the elderly—and bring them to the Cloud Immortal Continent."

After saying this, Jiang Yun disappeared into the void, leaving everyone in the meeting room bewildered. Some didn't understand what Jiang Yun intended, but most began issuing commands to contact their people immediately.

Feng Yi, filled with curiosity, turned to the elder and asked, "What kind of formation is it?"

The elder responded with a firm tone, "It's a time-acceleration and spiritual energy-gathering formation."

After speaking, the elder vanished into the void as well. Upon hearing this, everyone hastily contacted their people.

Outside Tianyuan, Jiang Yun emerged from the void with a steady gaze. He looked ahead at the vast swarm of blood ants waiting for him and spoke, "System, how many villain points do I currently have? How many Immortal Emperor bodies can I purchase?"

The system's voice echoed in response. [Approximately 100 million bodies, Host.]

"Buy them all and send them to my Samsara Clones. Distribute them to the disciples and those in Tianyuan," Jiang Yun commanded in a cold tone.

The system fell silent for a moment before replying in a quiet voice, [Understood, Host.]

Jiang Yun stared coldly at the swarm of blood ants and asked, "Where is your queen?"

Suddenly, mocking laughter filled the air as hundreds of demi-god-level blood ants made way for Xue Houyi, the supreme leader of the blood ant race, who flew toward Jiang Yun.

"I've been waiting for you," Xue Houyi sneered as she immediately unleashed her power of dreams. Jiang Yun's body began to transform into a blood ant, slowly and painfully.

But in the midst of the transformation, Jiang Yun spoke with firm resolve.

"Separate all things, return to the void!"

Suddenly, a small black sphere appeared in his hand, emanating a terrifying aura. Xue Houyi sensed the immense danger from the sphere and attempted to stop it. However, before she could act, Jiang Yun closed in on her, wielding the Void Blade.

Xue Houyi narrowly dodged his attack and then noticed her children being devoured by the small black sphere Jiang Yun had created. Enraged, she charged toward the sphere to destroy it, but at that moment, Jiang Yun attacked her from behind with another power.

She spun around in shock to defend herself, but to her surprise, she wasn't injured. Instead, she felt something strange. Though her body was unharmed, something felt off. She quickly transformed the black sphere that was devouring her children into a mere dream and easily resurrected them, turning to Jiang Yun with suspicion.

"What have you done to me? Why do I feel strange?" Xue Houyi asked, her voice filled with doubt.

Jiang Yun chuckled lightly before responding, "I've severed your connection to any benefits the Universal Dao might gain from you or the other blood ants. No matter how many lives you take or how much power you devour, it will remain locked within you. The Universal Dao will gain nothing from you anymore."

Xue Houyi raised an eyebrow, "You... helped?"

Suddenly, Xue Houyi's body was sliced into pieces with blinding speed. Yet, instead of crying out in pain, she smiled eerily. As Jiang Yun moved to strike her again, his own body began to fracture, mimicking Xue Houyi's condition. She had used the power of dreams to transfer all of her injuries to Jiang Yun.

Without hesitation, Xue Houyi launched a powerful dream attack toward him. However, Jiang Yun managed to stop it, and his body reformed, though he quickly collapsed, clutching his head in pain.

"What's happening to me..." Jiang Yun muttered, but before he could find the answer, Xue Houyi prepared to strike again, intending to kill him in his moment of weakness.

Just then, the Universal Dao intervened, halting Xue Houyi's attack. She paused, confused by the sudden interference, while Jiang Yun struggled to recover from the pain.

"Stop time!" Jiang Yun shouted.

At his command, everything around him froze. The blood ants charging forward, Xue Houyi's attack, and even the power of the Universal Dao were all halted. Seizing the moment, Jiang Yun worked to heal his body and regain his composure.

Once the pain from Xue Houyi's dream power subsided, Jiang Yun smiled coldly, his face twisted with malice. With a sinister laugh, millions of Void Blades erupted from him, slashing through the blood ants around him in an instant.

The blades then turned toward Xue Houyi, still frozen in time. It seemed she would not escape her fate, but at the last moment, she broke free from Jiang Yun's time freeze. She dodged the attack swiftly, though her body was pierced by a Void Blade, leaving a gaping wound.

Xue Houyi glanced at her children, now reduced to little more than remnants. Their bodies were torn apart, but she showed no emotion. Instead, she smiled maniacally and spoke with a voice laced with malice, "We will meet again, I'm sure…"

With those words, she snapped her own neck without hesitation. Her body fell and dissolved into the void, just as time resumed its normal flow. Blood from the slaughtered blood ants splattered across the battlefield, but at that same moment, a crushing pressure descended on Jiang Yun. A furious voice roared out, "What have you done to my blood ants?"

Jiang Yun glanced indifferently in the direction of the voice, smirking as he spoke dismissively, "Bow before me and beg, and maybe I'll tell you."

The Universal Dao bellowed in anger, "Restore the blood ants, and I'll give you anything you desire!"

Jiang Yun laughed mockingly, "Bow to me first!"

The Universal Dao's rage reached its peak, but suddenly, its screams turned to those of agony. "Aaaargh! You… you… no… aaaargh! The blood ants, they're devouring me! Aaaagh!"

Jiang Yun watched the Universal Dao's writhing torment with a cold smile. He stepped forward, lightly tapping it, and said with a mocking tone, "I know you can't kill me, and I can't kill you either. But I can make sure you die without ever staining my hands with your filthy blood. If you want to survive, you'd better start begging."

The Universal Dao had no response other than its agonized screams. Jiang Yun chuckled softly and vanished into the void, leaving the Universal Dao to struggle in its cruel fate, with no way to escape.