Perhaps the Eternal Mother had sensed that Bai Xiaochun’s pursuit of his own Dao was the only hope for her and the Eternal Immortal Domains!

If he failed, then the Eternal Immortal Domains would be doomed, and no one would be able to save them. After all, even when she was in her prime, the Eternal Immortal Domains could only delay the inevitable catastrophe, not prevent it completely.

But if Bai Xiaochun could succeed in his search for his own Dao, then although there would still be many variables at play, there would at least be hope for the future.

Therefore, how could she possibly allow someone to disturb him in a critical moment of cultivation? Years had passed since she was originally injured, and left with only a bit of godly power, most of which she had given out to approve of celestials, or to help the Saint-Emperor. However, she still had a bit left to make a move in this critical moment!

Without any hesitation whatsoever, she sent her will out into the Eternal Immortal Domains, shaking all living beings, and causing the mark on the Saint-Emperor’s forehead to shine with dazzling light.

Dazzling light spread out in all directions as the Eternal Flower on the Saint-Emperor’s forehead became the eye of the Eternal Mother, which then opened!

Instantly, the Saint-Emperor’s aura rose with explosive speed. Before, his cultivation base had been somewhat unstable, but now, it stabilized, and actually stepped all the way into the Sovereign Realm!

Rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth as an aura that represented natural laws of heaven and earth erupted out, causing the heavens to grow dim, and the starry sky to distort.

Clearly, this newfound power of the Saint-Emperor came from the Eternal Mother, and would not last for long. However, it was still enough to cause Daoist Heavenspan’s face to fall!

The Eternal Mother had chosen to act in the most critical of moments.

“Dammit!!” he growled, his face twisted with madness as he charged through the enormous river. All he needed was a few breaths’ worth of time, and yet, how could the Eternal Mother possibly give him that?

As the Saint-Emperor’s aura grew more powerful, his eyes flashed, and he shot through the river to appear in front of the projected face of the Mortal Renegade. Reaching out, he then thrust his palm at the face.

“Back off!” he roared. That simple gesture was backed by the power of a sovereign, and caused the waters of the river to roil violently and sweep away in the opposite direction. At the same time, the face of the Mortal Renegade twisted and distorted, and was shoved backward, powerless to resist.

“I refuse to accept this!!” Daoist Heavenspan shouted, blood pouring out of his mouth. He had paid a heavy price, and unleashed his most powerful trump cards, even damaging his life force and his soul, all in an attempt to turn the tables in this critical moment. But then the Eternal Mother came, and casually destroyed his chance.

How could he not feel defiant? Slapping his palm onto his chest, he caused black flames to erupt all over him.

Those flames represented nirvanic extermination, and ultimate death. They represented a darkness that burned, not the enemy, but Daoist Heavenspan himself.

Shockingly, he didn’t hesitate for even a moment to light himself on fire… to make himself even stronger than before!!

He had no other alternatives. Worse, he had the intense premonition that if he didn't do this, he would be killed beyond the shadow of a doubt. However, if he could somehow manage to get back to the Mortal Renegade’s forehead, then perhaps he could borrow some power to heal himself.

“3,000 Daos of Nirvanic Extermination!!” Hands flying through double-handed incantation gestures, he caused something like a thread to appear, seemingly formed from natural law itself. It almost looked like a hair attached to the face of the Mortal Renegade!

That hair was indeed a natural law, thrumming with the power of Essence, one of many which existed in the starry sky!

This was not something Daoist Heavenspan had gained enlightenment from, but rather… something from the Mortal Renegade. As the Mortal Renegade had exterminated one flourishing civilization after another, he had taken everything which made them up and transformed it into Essence power!

Normally speaking, Daoist Heavenspan should not have been able to use the Mortal Renegade’s magics of nirvanic extermination. However, by burning his own body, he managed to do it!

Moments later, a second hair appeared, then a third, and a fourth…. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of hairs had appeared, and then, over a thousand….

As they did, the power of natural law and Essence caused the sky to tremble, and shook all of the living beings present. The river began to evaporate, until the point when the 3,000th great Dao appeared. 3,000 hairs could be seen, which then turned blurry as they transformed into dozens of smaller hairs that almost seemed like clones of the originals!!

These were the countless lesser Daos that existed within the great Essence Daos, all of them originating with the Mortal Renegade!

3,000 great Daos and countless lesser Daos formed together into an all-destructive power. The Devil-Sun and Demon-Moon eyes within the projected face of the Mortal Renegade then began to glow bright red, almost as if they were alive.

“Nobody can stop me!!” Daoist Heavenspan howled from within the flames. Surrounded by the illusory face of the Mortal Renegade with its countless hairs of natural law, he continued to charge through the river!

He was now vastly stronger than before, and as such, almost instantly shot through the river to appear in front of the Saint-Emperor.

The Saint-Emperor had nothing else to do. The symbol of the Eternal Mother on his forehead glittered, emitting an explosive aura as he performed a double-handed incantation gesture. As a result, the Eternal Flower appeared behind him, which then fought with full force against the projected face of the Mortal Renegade.

A rumbling boom echoed out when they made contact, causing the lands of the Eternal Immortal Domains to tremble, and the sky to sink in.

Blood sprayed out of Daoist Heavenspan’s mouth, and his body withered even further. By now, the flame of his life force was very dark; obviously, the Eternal Mother’s move had drained him to the point where he was about to flicker out of existence.

However, the divine abilities he was unleashing came from the Mortal Renegade. So in some ways, even if he died, they would continue on. Therefore, even though the Eternal Mother’s power rebuffed the face of the Mortal Renegade, sending it tumbling back into the river, the Saint-Emperor was deeply shaken, and staggered backward several paces. At the same time, the eye of the Eternal Mother went dark and closed.

Something like a sigh of regret echoed through heaven and earth. Back in the Eternal Mother’s prime, she might not have been able to stand up to the Mortal Renegade, but she could have easily sealed an apprentice of his like Daoist Heavenspan.

But now, all she was capable of was two counter attacks before she was so weak that she had to return to slumber….

The moment that the Eternal Mother’s eye closed, the Saint-Emperor’s aura grew weaker. Coughing up blood, he staggered backward several steps, face turning ashen. As of this moment, Daoist Heavenspan’s immense strength had caused despair to rise up in his heart.

“If the apprentice is this strong… then exactly how powerful is the Mortal Renegade himself?” As the Saint-Emperor backed up, wracked with bitterness, Daoist Heavenspan looked over, aware that his life force was draining away, and thus descending into madness.

Surrounded by the projected face with its 3,000 hairs, he once again prepared to charge through the river.

As of this moment, there was no one to stop him! Clearly, he would make it through without any problems!!

But then, Song Que opened his eyes, and they shone with dazzling brightness. Hands flashing in a double-handed incantation gesture, he said, “Mountain of Dao Essence: crush him!!”