In front of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death, the Xuanwu barrier had been opened. This was the last line of defense; once the tide broke through here, another mortal world would follow.

     “The mortal world has order. If order were to collapse, punishment of the heavens would descend and all would return to the beginning of time.”

     —According to the warning records in ancient books, once the Gate of Life and Death was torn open to the point of no return, a flood would submerge these two worlds, and all things would return to the beginning.

     It was all too sudden for the cultivators present. They were so taken by surprise that many of them didn’t know what else to do but cry.

     It was no wonder. How many people could still remain calm before the sudden doomsday?

     However, the Mei brothers, who had already experienced the era of Taxian-Jun, and Xue Meng, who was no longer youthful, were already prepared.

     Mei Hanxue said, “Those who specialize in offense and healing should go back to the other side of the Gate of Life and Death. Those who specialize in defense should come out and follow me to the Xuanwu barrier.”

     Someone asked, “To do what?”

     “Defend, of course.”

      Everyone looked at the Xuanwu barrier that stretched from the sky to earth and then at the torrent of destruction rolling in from afar and couldn't help but feel afraid.

     A female cultivator trembled and asked, “Can this... be stopped?”

     Mei Hanxue looked back and saw that the girl was beautiful, so he smiled with curved eyes. This man really was able to look beyond the life or death of the mortal world and play around. Even when his life was hanging in the balance, he still had the leisure to tease her: “Well, it's hard to say whether it can be stopped or not. But if it’s not stopped, we will certainly die. Is the young lady afraid?”

     “...”

     Mei Hánxue walked over with a cold expression. “Why are you still chatting at such a time?”

     “Isn’t it because it’s this time that we have to chat? Otherwise, should I become a ghost and go to the underworld to find the ghost lady?”

     This was the first time the Mei brothers appeared together in front of a crowd. Looking at the two of them, the elder brother was as cold as frost and the younger brother was gentle and brilliant. The female cultivator couldn’t help but be surprised and didn’t recover for a long time. “You... who are you?”

     Mei Hanxue smiled and winked at her. “How is it? Am I still better looking?”

     The female cultivator couldn't even close her mouth and only stared blankly. “You guys…”

      Just as she was about to take another look at the two men, the man who appeared as cold as an ice cave had already turned his back, his clothes fluttering as he walked to the edge of the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death, and said to the crowd with his voice amplification technique:

     “Offensive forces retreat, and defensive forces advance. Please hurry.”

     Someone asked, “Even if we use the Xuanwu barrier to temporarily hold back the flood, it’s still only a temporary measure. We can’t keep blocking it like this forever, right?”

     “Yes, what if this flood never recedes?”

     Mei Hánxue shook his head and said, “Half of the people will guard against the flood, and the other half will close the Gate of Life and Death.”

     “...” There were thousands of people gathered here, but in an instant they all fell silent.

     Close the Gate of Life and Death?

     Now, almost the entire dome had been torn open, and the space-time rift was like a vast ocean with no end in sight. The two space-times had completely merged and intersected. How could it be closed?

     As if seeing through everyone's doubts, Mei Hánxue said, “Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves Spell.”

     Young Xue Meng standing in the crowd was stunned for a moment. He felt that this spell sounded strangely familiar, but just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Xuanji Elder say, “Isn’t this what Yuheng once created… a reversal spell?”

     When he mentioned this, the members of Bitan Manor also reacted.

     In the past, when a Heavenly Rift opened in Butterfly Town, Li Wuxin had brought a group of disciples to Sisheng Peak to demand an explanation. After a series of misunderstandings, Chu Wanning told everyone with a cold expression that he was the creator of the “Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves Spell.”

     Mei Hánxue said, “Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves can reverse a spell that has already been cast.”

     Someone was surprised and asked, “It’s possible even for one this big?”

     “Naturally, it won’t work with the power of only one person,” Mei Hánxue said, “so we will all need to work together.”

     Everyone looked at each other, and after looking back and forth, many people hesitated and retreated behind the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.

     “My spiritual power is insufficient. I can’t withstand the flood.”

     “Me too. I'm the worst at defensive barriers.”

      No one was stupid. They all knew how dangerous it was to guard the Xuanwu barrier and how easy it was to close the gate. Although some people from Sisheng Peak and Taxue Palace, along with some young people from other sects volunteered to come forward, there were also many cultivators who shrank away and pushed their way to the back.

     Mei Hánxue stared at those cowards, his already unfriendly expression becoming even gloomier. “They all want to hide in the back and be safe, so who will shield them from the front?”

     This was often the case, such as when two armies faced each other in a fight to the death; even though they knew they wouldn’t be able to survive if the vanguard was defeated, they still hoped to be assigned to the rear.

     Just as they were at a stalemate, Jiang Xi suddenly said, “I'll do it.”

     The cultivators of Guyueye watched the sect leader leave, and after looking around for a moment, a large group of people followed him to the Xuanwu barrier. The medical sect was the weakest of the ten major sects in terms of spiritual power. When they left, it was like raising their hands to slap those cowardly bastards.

     “...I also know a little about guarding, so I can help.”

     After saying this, Zhen Congming from Bitan Manor also walked to the front and stood aside silently with a sword in his arms.

     Many more people then came over one after another. Although the number was still far from enough, seeing that the first wave of the tide was about to hit, they had no time to wait any longer.

     “Hurry up! Ziming, go to the back and cast the Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves spell. Everyone else, follow me to the Xuanwu barrier and prepare to defend." After Mei Hanxue said this, he jumped up to the huge and transparent barrier and put his palm on it.

     “Formation, open!”

     He was not the only one to do this. Soon, pairs of hands were pressed against the last barrier between the mortal world and the flood. Blue spiritual currents, green spiritual currents, red spiritual currents... countless rays of light converged on this barrier that separated the heavens and earth.

     Slowly, an emblem of a tortoise entwined together with a snake lit up in the night. Its tail was coiled on the ground and its head was raised to the heavens. It was the Xuanwu guardian seal, ignited by everyone’s combined strength.

     It was at this moment that the great waves raised by the First Phoenix rushed forth from ahead with a momentum far greater than thousands of horses galloping and the Yellow River entering the sea.

     The people’s tension was at its limit as they stared at the muddy and yellow approaching water line.

     “Get ready, it’s coming—”

     Almost as soon as the words fell, a thousand-foot-high sky-devouring wave came crashing down on them! In an instant, water splashed in all directions!

     “Hold on!”

     The torrent was as fierce as a gluttonous beast. Even with the Xuanwu barrier as a defense, the water still broke through the weak points in the spiritual energy and sprayed in with the force of arrowheads. Many of the weaker cultivators were unable to withstand the force of the flood, and with just the first wave, dozens of them fell to their knees, coughing up blood.

     Jiang Xi turned around and shouted, “Come on, more people!”

     However, when they saw the situation, fewer and fewer people dared to step forward.

     At this time, Xue Meng had finished drawing the characters of the Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves spell. He struck in the air, and tens of thousands of rays of lightning hissed and flashed behind the talisman, spreading in all directions towards the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death.

     Just like the vanguard blocking the flood, the cultivators in the back also began to pour their spiritual energy into the Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves spell, trying their best to close the rift that stretched across two mortal worlds. However, the rift was truly too large, and for a moment, it was difficult to see whether the edges of the rift were shrinking. Many people were actually incredibly apprehensive.

     Progress at the rear was slow, but the vanguard was already stretched to the limit.

     Another huge wave hit, and more cultivators fell to the ground, unable to hold on. The cracks in the Xuanwu barrier grew wider and wider, and the water column gushed through, instantly soaking Jiang Xi and the others’ clothes.

     “We can't go on like this.” Mei Hánxue said, “The Gate of Life and Death can’t be closed before the Xuanwu barrier is broken.”

     “...”

     At this moment, they suddenly heard a sound comparable to chaotic horse hooves behind them. Turning around, they saw a group of rogue cultivators and civilians coming from afar. The cultivators were flying on swords, while the civilians rode horses. Of the two people in the lead, one wore a black robe, with very elegant eyebrows and eyes; it was Ye Wangxi.

     There was also a middle-aged woman, crookedly riding a sword, with her body draped in red silk and her hair full of dazzling hairpins and gold adornments. She was the Master of Feihua Island, Third Madam Sun.

     There was a cloud of dust behind the two people, and it was unclear how many people they had brought with them. Perhaps they had even brought all the women, children, and elderly who had taken refuge.

     Ye Wangxi lightly jumped down from the sword, then frowned and said, “I saw the commotion from afar and heard all about it on the way here."

     Her gaze moved across the crowd and landed on the vulnerable Xuanwu barrier. She then glanced at the cultivators who clearly had exceptional spiritual power but were unwilling to risk venturing forward.

     In this world, there were warriors weak in body yet also powerful cowards. The human body and heart were not necessarily compatible.

     Ye Wangxi was so disappointed that she gritted her teeth and said, “...You have the ability but a heart not even as good as that of the common people!” She dropped these words, and with qinggong, she swept to Jiang Xi’s side and placed her hand on him.

     Apart from her, the rogue cultivators and even the common people who came with her—no matter how insignificant their abilities—all rushed forward. Seeing this, no matter how thick-skinned some people were, they couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

     “I… I’ll go too.”

     “Forget it, isn’t it death either way? I’m going too.”

     “Me too! Me too!”

     More and more people gathered in front of the Xuanwu barrier, and the Turtle-Snake Formation, which had originally begun to dim earlier, brightened again.

     The third wave… The fourth wave…

     Man fought against the heavens; man fought against fate.

     Suddenly a girl shouted in a sharp voice, “Look! Is that the edge of the Gate of Life and Death?!”

     The sound was like thunderbolt, and everyone was startled and looked in the direction she pointed—sure enough, at the far edge of the sky, they could faintly see a black line shrinking back continuously; although it was at a very slow pace, it was undoubtedly shrinking.

     Suddenly, someone was so excited that he burst into tears. “Faster! Faster! It really can be closed! It really can be closed!”

     Seeing this bright vitality, almost every eye ignited with the light of survival. They all put their palms together, continuously gathering their power into the center of the Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves spell. In exchange, the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death’s seal was slowly being restored and closing inch by inch.

     However, the power of the heavens and earth was still vast. Even though ten thousand people were already united against a common enemy and poured all of their spiritual energy into protecting the barrier, they were still unable to contend with the divine force.

     Humans were like ants, truly too insignificant…

     As another wave fell like tumbling snow, there was a crunching sound, and a crack similar to lightning appeared in the center of the Xuanwu barrier. The crack ran from the top of the sky, all the way to the ground, with wisps of water seeping in from behind it.

     Everyone's faces paled. They all knew that if a crack was opened, it would be—

     “Boom!!!”

     Before they could finish the thought, the earth split and sky collapsed!

     A gap was opened, and thousands of acres of rivers poured in from behind. The sound of turbulent waves drowned out people’s screams, and many were knocked down immediately.

     “Ah!!”

     “Help!”

     The flooding water was a tempestuous deluge. Xue Meng stood in front of the Gate of Life and Death and looked back at the scene in front of the Xuanwu barrier. He gritted his teeth and said to everyone, “Hurry up!”

     As he was speaking, he suddenly saw a man rushing towards him, holding a sword with a silver glow in his hand. It was none other than his younger self.

     He grabbed young Xue Meng's shoulders, his eyebrows raised with anger. “Go back! You don't know how to use defensive arrays at all.”

     Young Xue Meng gritted his teeth and said, “I want to return the sword to that person.”

     “Who?”

     Young Xue Meng raised his hand and pointed at Jiang Xi, who was pale but still doing his best despite lacking the aid of his holy weapon.

     “...Jiang Yechen? How do you have his sword?”

     Young Xue Meng was stunned. “You don’t know?”

     Xue Meng shook his head. “I don’t know him. He died very early in our time.”

     When he said this, his eyes were a little dazed. He had been displaced for so long that he couldn’t remember clearly the time when everyone was still alive and the war had just begun.

     But after thinking for a moment, Xue Meng still looked at Jiang Xi's back and said, “Back then, Taxian-Jun asked him to present the secret scroll of Guyueye, which contains certain medical sect techniques. It’s powerful, but very wicked, including using Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts to refine medicine and the yin-yang dual cultivation longevity technique.”

     “...” Noticing that young Xue Meng's face turned ugly when he heard about the dual cultivation longevity technique, he couldn't help but ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

     The young man said, “Nothing… Then what?”

     “Jiang Xi refused. He said that the secret scroll of the medical sect was evil and had already been burned the day he took over as sect leader.”

     “...”

     “Taxian-Jun was furious and ordered him to make a copy. Naturally, he refused, and in the end, he was killed." Xue Meng closed his eyes. “Jiang Yechen was a hero. I’m very happy to see that he’s still alive in the other world.”

     Seeing that his younger self didn’t say anything, Xue Meng lowered his eyes and said, “You still haven’t answered me; how did you get his sword?”

     Young Xue Meng stammered, not knowing what to say for a moment. After a while, he just opened his mouth to say “I…” but then there was another loud noise, which made his bones numb and his hair stand on end.

     They suddenly turned around and saw that the lightning crack had been stretched to the limit. Ye Wangxi and Mei Hanxue both fell to their knees, while Jiang Xi still held on but suddenly coughed up blood.

     Young Xue Meng cried out involuntarily, “Jiang…”

     Jiang what?

     Should he still be calling him Jiang Xi?

     Or was it Sect Leader Jiang?

     With the sound cut off between his lips, he ran over and handed Xuehuang to Jiang Xi.

     "...Go back!" Jiang Xi looked up and saw that it was him. His pale complexion became even more unsightly. He frowned and pushed his own holy weapon and Xue Meng back together. “Go back to the rift and don’t cause trouble!”

     After saying this, he choked on another mouthful of blood.

     “Jiang Yechen!!”

      Hearing him call him by his given name, Jiang Xi coughed heavily a few times, panting as he turned back, his eyes filled with ferocity and complexity. “Damn it... Who allowed you to call me like that?”

     “...”

     "My given name and courtesy name aren’t what you should call me.” Jiang Xi’s lips had turned red as his meridians protruded. He focused all of his strength into maintaining the barrier amidst the gushing stream that poured out of the crack.

     But he still didn't forget to scold him like he did when they first met.

     “How unruly!”

     A loud noise pierced his ears, followed by a horrible crackling sound. Xue Meng didn't even have time to speak or react before he was violently dragged back by Xuehuang—and the next thing he saw was the lightning-shaped crack instantly shatter. This time, it was no longer a small crack, but an entire area that collapsed and shattered.

     The water instantly flooded in!

     The people standing behind the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death immediately felt numb, from their scalps to the soles of their feet.

     It’s all over.

     Doomsday… doomsday… All will return to the beginning…

     Some people even stopped contributing to the Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves spell and fell to their knees, kowtowing and wailing like the most primitive servants before the heavenly punishment as they knelt and begged the gods for mercy.

     Some people shouted to the heavens about injustice, with tears streaming down their cheeks.

     It was over.

     But at this moment—suddenly, a ray of bluish-green light slashed down from the raging current!

     “What’s going on?”

     “What the hell?!”

     Even the slightest movement of the wind and grass could cause the hearts of those in dire situations to tremble, let alone such a terrifying movement. They looked up and saw a man in black and gold battle armor flying towards them on a sword. As he got closer, they could see wounds all over his body, as if he’d been cut by thousands of sharp knives. But even so, one could still recognize the remnants of his former handsomeness in his appearance.

     “...It’s… Mo… Mo Ran?”

     “It’s the devil!”

     “Goodness, what devil? It’s obviously Mo-zongshi!!” Ma Yun of Taobao Villa was immediately excited, because even a fool could see that Mo Ran came to save them, not to add fuel to the fire.

      And with him was Beidou Immortal, Chu Wanning, who had been missing for a long time.

     “Chu-zongshi!!!”

     The creator of Return Ten Thousand Billowing Waves—the world’s top master of barriers.

     Like their own leader, the cultivators of Taobao Villa were the most fearful of death. Seeing this, they were so thrilled. They were the first to be ecstatic, unable to hide their joy. They danced with elation and said, “We’re saved! We’re saved!”

     Mo Ran rode the wind, dressed in a set of strong leather armor, his robe fluttering. He flew straight to the Xuanwu barrier, jumped down, and landed steadily in the waves.

     “Jiangui, Ten Thousand Coffins!”

     With his shout, countless willow vines rose from the ground, and those who were knocked down and immersed in the waves, including Ye Wangxi, Third Madam Sun, and Jiang Xi, were wrapped in the vines and sent to the back with gloomy expressions. Then he turned around and gave a stern order:

     “Get someone else up here! Where are the uninjured guards?!” He glanced at Jiang Xi, becoming increasingly furious and angry. "Why would even a master healer do this sort of thing?! Do you want to die?!”

     Those defensive cultivators who sought survival in the back were scolded and humiliated.

     Taxian-Jun lashed out fiercely, and a dazzling light burst from his palm, instantly spreading across the barrier in front of him. He gritted his teeth and said, “Who the hell is still hiding? When this stream is taken care of, This Venerable One will crush your heads one by one!"

     “...” Everyone looked at each other.

     “Get out here!!”

     It was unknown what extent of terrifying intimidation this person had, or perhaps it was the desperation of near-death despair, but many people who were afraid of death began to let it go in face of the end of the world. Even the remnants of Jiangdong Hall, which was once the most despicable, had crossed the border of the Gate of Life and Death, and even fewer could refuse. Groups of cultivators came behind Taxian-Jun, and their hands covered the Xuanwu barrier.

     The originally shaky barrier suddenly regained its vitality. Because of everyone’s concerted efforts and the contribution of the strongest combat power in the mortal world, it became indestructible and exuded an extremely powerful aura.

     “Wow—”

      Seeing a wave as high as ten thousand feet rushing towards them like a whirling tsunami, some people who were born timid couldn't help but gulp and stand still when they saw such a situation.

     Taxian-Jun said in a grim voice:

     “Don’t leave, not a single person. Just try and retreat if you dare.”

     “...”

     “If anyone deserts the battlefield, This Venerable One will ensure you never see the sun again after this night.”