The night mist was completely steeped in crimson haze, resembling fire-lit clouds. A downpour of light poured over Qin Ming, draping him from above.
One bright, crystalline crimson feather after another drifted down, swirling around him. Above his head, within the red mist, a Vermilion Bird seemed to be molting its plumage, born anew.
"A godkin creature?"
"A Vermilion Bird!"
Exclamations erupted from the crowd in sheer shock.
Not only that, but near the billowing fiery clouds, thick azure clouds churned, within which lurked a colossal behemoth radiating an immense sense of oppression.
It was an Azure Dragon. The opening and closing of its scales produced a deafening metallic clang. Its long whiskers drifted, and its majestic horns jutted out proudly; even with only a small portion of its body exposed, it shook the soul.
"What kind of spectacle is this? Guarded by two godkin creatures?"
Some youths were utterly stunned, unable to tell that these were not creatures of flesh and blood.
Among the aliens, a group of young sun elves grew unsettled, staring with slack jaws at the immensely impactful scene before them.
Wreathed from head to toe in golden lightning, Guang Yu was indeed a talent blessed by heaven. Just moments earlier, he had boldly proclaimed that he was invincible within one zhang.
Yet now, his inner landscape was being shaken.
Two such extraordinary creatures had barged in unbidden. Though only crimson plumes fell and an azure claw reached out, they already occupied a significant portion of the divine pure land.
No wonder that even after shattering his opponent's heavenly light sword waves, he had found it difficult to crush the man himself.
"Are those the two sacred baleful auras you gave him?" On the immortal path's side, a senior elder frowned and turned toward the younger generation, including Chu Yuan and Jiang Yunfan.
"We never imagined that the sacred baleful auras would be revived like this in his hands—so lifelike, achieving an effect that defies all expectations," Chu Yuan and the others replied with solemn expressions.
Every member of their generation was astonished. In their eyes, while a sacred baleful aura was indeed extraordinary and could temper a spiritual field, its miraculous utility should never have reached such heights.
"They truly fell into the right hands," a Grandmaster of the immortal path could not help but remark.
The expressions of many in the younger generation shifted. Was the Grandmaster merely speaking from emotion, or was this a subtle warning?
"Those are two types of sacred baleful aura!" an elderly sun elf among the aliens spoke, both to alert Guang Yu and to enlighten his kin.
Standing within his golden inner landscape, Guang Yu raised a finger. A cascade of thunder fell from the sky like a waterfall, blasting toward Qin Ming.
Without question, in ancient myths and legends, deities commanding the art of thunder were terrifying figures. How many cultivators in this world could withstand the punishment of heavenly thunder?
A high-pitched avian cry pierced the night sky. The Vermilion Bird, molting its plumage and reborn anew, stained the clouds crimson and radiated fiery light, intercepting the lightning with raging flames.
The entire golden domain shook violently, as though on the verge of being torn apart.
Although Guang Yu's divine foundation—the inner landscape—had taken shape amidst surging golden lightning, the power he could harness could not truly rival real lightning in a torrential downpour.
As a mere youth, he was still far from reaching that level.
Even so, under normal circumstances, crushing peers his own age and reigning supreme over a region would have posed no challenge at all.
With crackles and pops, thunder runes surged violently. Guang Yu's tall, slender frame swayed, his long golden hair crackling with piercing arcs of electricity as shock filled his face.
Earlier, whenever he fought an opponent, he directly suppressed them using solar fire. After learning that today's foe was suspected of being able to resist flames, he had brought out his strongest trump card—yet it had failed to break through.
Midair, the Vermilion Bird soared across the sky, showering crimson light amidst churning fiery red clouds.
The lightning was shattered by it, unable to reach anywhere near Qin Ming.
Crucially, a massive Azure Dragon remained coiled in wait, glaring down like a predator and ready to dive from the heavy azure clouds at any moment.
Before Guang Yu, lightning intertwined, and within the golden inner landscape, dense runes twinkled like stars.
"I'm giving you a chance. Say it again," Qin Ming said calmly.
Looking closely, further behind him in the distant backdrop, vague scenery had yet to fully emerge. That alone was terrifying—just what was that?
"Holy crap, Brother Ming really knows how to put on a show." Wu Yaozu rubbed his hands, itching to step into the arena and test the lightning of that divine pure land himself.
"Yeah, my hands are itching too," Xiang Yiwu agreed, nodding.
At that, Xiao Wu flared up. What the hell did your hands itching have to do with rubbing my head?
A palm the size of a cattail fan rested on his scalp, rolling it around like prayer beads or walnut spheres. It was outrageously disrespectful; Wu Yaozu nearly picked a fight with him on the spot!
Seeing this, several young ladies nearby found the hulking youth—who was wider than two people put together—surprisingly reassuring and protective.
Guang Yu's expression was icy as he said, "Even if they are sacred baleful auras, so what? I have read the records: these are heterogeneous substances that only supreme drudges in ancient immortal sanctuaries could refine, yet in the end, they still had to bow before gods and immortals."
Even so, for his opponent to have refined two legendary sacred baleful auras meant this would likely prove extremely troublesome.
"Within one zhang, I am invincible!" Guang Yu refused to take back his words, emphasizing them once more. Shrouded in arcs of electricity, he stood aloof and cold, as if possessed by an indifferent Duke of Thunder.
Meanwhile, thunder runes spread outward until terrifying golden glyphs filled the entire inner landscape, clashing repeatedly against the resplendent Vermilion Bird.
Within the clouds, the Azure Dragon also completed its rebirth. Its dragon scales opened and shut, shedding brilliant azure light as it swooped downward.
*Boom! Boom!*
Cracks spiderwebbed across the divine pure land. Golden ripples surged, and lightning spilled toward the outside world; the entire inner landscape seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Guang Yu stumbled backward, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He forcefully stimulated his spiritual field, hoping to draw out even more power from the inner landscape.
He halted his retreat while continuing to stimulate his potential, releasing it without reserve to reinforce his thunder inner landscape.
Terrifying, muffled peals of thunder resounded across the area before the South Heavenly Gate.
Inside this pure land, divine characters filled the void, solidifying into tangible objects and constructing armor that pulsed with potent and dangerous might.
"This... is going a bit too far. Afterward, he will surely fall gravely ill," an old elf among the aliens remarked with a furrowed brow.
For Guang Yu to harness part of the inner landscape power of the third realm was already no easy feat; taking such risks now and continuously overdrawing himself was perilous to both his foe and himself.
Yet, at this moment, the sun elf within the pure land genuinely grew stronger in an instant.
In a flash, the dazzling armor encased him, looking as though forged from lightning, blazing with supreme radiance. Clad in it, Guang Yu resembled a young Duke of Thunder descending into the mortal realm.
Furthermore, the golden characters within the pure land condensed into two weapons: the legendary Duke of Thunder hammer and Duke of Thunder chisel, engraved with numerous enigmatic patterns.
The legendary weapons of the Duke of Thunder had taken preliminary form and were swiftly gripped in Guang Yu's hands.
Even those on the immortal path's side who disliked him had to acknowledge his brilliance.
To command the power of the inner landscape and manifest the nascent form of the Duke of Thunder while only in the second realm made him dazzling even in a brutally competitive great era.
The sun elven race viewed his performance with a mixture of delight and dread, acutely sensing how much stronger he had become while fearing he would be unable to bear the strain.
Beyond the immortal path disciples, the spectators—including nobles of Great Yu and renowned figures from various paths—all kept their eyes glued to the developments in the arena.
Soon, people noticed a sudden change around Qin Ming as well.
The distant backdrop behind him shifted from vague to clear, truly unveiling itself.
There, the night was profound and dark, a bright moon was sinking, a lone raven wailed mournfully, and withered leaves mingled with frost, swept by the autumn wind into the river surface deep within the night mist. There was even a great serpent lamenting toward the moon.
All of it exuded a chilly, desolate aura of decline. It was the manifestation of the artistic conceptions of multiple wondrous arts, involving the Black-White Classic, the Withering and Thriving Classic, the Dragon Snake Scripture, and more.
"He lacks a sacred baleful aura of the yin attribute, so he is making up for it with the conceptions of wondrous arts!" an elder of the immortal path revealed.
Other renowned figures interpreted further: the bright moon represented Taiyin, while the lone raven and the great serpent belonged to the yin attribute. The withered leaves and frost symbolized decay and withering, likewise transforming toward yin, while the black river surface was pure yin baleful aura.
All of this took place in the span of a spark.
Guang Yu finished donning his armor. Holding the hammer and chisel, he unleashed hundreds of lightning bolts accompanied by dense script that seemed to empower his divine might.
"I am the Duke of Thunder, arbiter of punishment in this world! Even with two sacred baleful auras, so what? I strike you down!" Guang Yu proclaimed, his words carrying the weight of decree.
A deluge of thunder erupted from him, rampaging across the grounds to engulf his opponent before him.
"Say that again!" Qin Ming spoke, the scenery around him blending together.
The Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon drew together, merging into one, while the sinking moon, the lone raven, and the black river surface also fused into a single entity.
Ultimately, a yin-yang diagram emerged. The yang diagram was complete, while the yin diagram was blurry and distorted; nonetheless, it was enough, temporarily locking together.
"Even this works? After refining the baleful auras, he complemented them with wondrous arts to inversely derive a yin-yang diagram!" Several renowned figures of the immortal path wore looks of astonishment.
Covered by the incomplete black-and-white diagram, Qin Ming pointed forward. With a whoosh, though the flawed yin-yang did not circulate entirely smoothly, it still erupted with astonishing might.
The irregular yin-yang diagram flew forth, extinguishing the entire deluge of thunder. Then, with a violent tremor, it caused the divine pure land to fracture, crumble, and completely collapse.
Guang Yu coughed up a large mouthful of blood. His dazzling long golden hair dimmed, deprived of support. He swayed unsteadily, finally sinking to one knee on the ground in crushing defeat!
Shrouded in the yin-yang diagram, Qin Ming paced forward and stood before him, looking down calmly.
Chapter 281