Heavenly light blazed like fire, incinerating the night sky and dispelling the darkness, illuminating the world that had remained abyss-like year-round.
No one had anticipated that two cultivators who both practiced Chaos force would engage in such a colossal showdown at Shanhe Academy—a true clash of dragons and tigers.
Even from a great distance, people could feel the surging waves of energy. Heavenly light spilled in all directions, turning the frozen lake into a vast sheet of white mist. Two figures rode the wind like coiling flood dragons locked in fierce combat beneath the long night.
They swept across the expansive sky as though capable of true flight!
This spectacle left many onlookers dazzled and their hearts pounding.
Across Kunling City, countless people were stirred to action, rushing toward Shanhe Academy.
"Prime viewing spots, only ten day gold! Miss this, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life!" Sister Crow flapped her wings, hiking prices on the spot as she and her friends occupied a low hill within the academy grounds.
Unfortunately, this business could not be monopolized. Otherwise, with the sheer hype of Qin Ming clashing with the grand-disciple of Past Rulai, Kunling would have exploded on the spot.
Even so, a crowd surged to the base of the hill, tossing down day gold before scrambling up.
"What? A clash representing the highest standard of the younger generation is underway right now?"
Kunling had three famous towers, of which Yujing Tower stood nine stories high, ablaze with lantern light. Most who spent their time here were cultivators of extraordinary status.
"Qin Ming is still a youth, but it's hard to say how old Sun Chengjun is."
There were visitors from the earthen city, guests from outside realms, and notables who had rushed in from all across Night Province. Upon hearing the news, the entire place erupted into clamor.
In an instant, the tower emptied as everyone rushed toward Shanhe Academy.
Similar scenes played out across other parts of the city.
In days past, Ling Yu had tested his sword across a hundred cities before finally battling Xin Youdao, drawing attention from all directions. Now, a showdown between the figurehead of the Newborn path and a successor of Past Rulai's lineage was causing an absolute sensation.
Inside Shanhe Academy, the two figures fought fiercely. Saber-light shone resplendent, seeming to rip through the endless night. Gusts from their fists surged tempestuously, whipping up the blanket of white snow on the ground as they howled past, sending tremors through the hearts of every onlooker.
Though Sun Chengjun was lean, an ocean of vitality surged within him, harboring inexhaustible heavenly light, and his strength rivaled dragons and elephants.
His body shone continuously with the luster of yellow jade—a manifestation of a Golden Body Nirvanic One pushed to the absolute limit.
Every gesture and step seemed imbued with the power to move mountains.
According to legend, someone in this state could subdue a flood dragon with bare hands.
Sun Chengjun's yellow-jade palms struck the mutton-fat jade iron saber again and again, sparking showers of fire and deafening clangs—a truly horrifying display.
On the other side, Qin Ming wore azure robes, his demeanor ethereal and detached. At this moment, he was intensely focused and calm. Every casual stroke of his saber art demonstrated the resonance of Dao and unleashed terrifying saber intent.
In a flash, one slash mirrored life and death, while another mirrored withering and thriving. Black and white light alternated, projecting a yin-yang diagram in front of him and unleashing Two Instruments saber-light.
Sun Chengjun's heart grew heavy. For his opponent to comprehend such ghostly, god-shaking saber intent in the third realm was truly shocking and filled him with deep wariness.
He struck the flat of the blade with his bare hands time and again. Yet this time, the mutton-fat jade iron saber bore down like a great mountain falling. It knocked his palms aside, brushed along his arm, and slashed toward his head.
The pure white blade swept along an exquisite arc, vibrating in resonance with Dao rhythm, carrying vast saber qi and chilling murderous intent, arriving in an instant!
*Clang!*
A golden haze rose around Sun Chengjun's body. Around his head, especially, a brilliant divine ring lit up like a blazing corona, blocking the strike.
Qin Ming unleashed heavenly light, turning the mutton-fat jade iron saber so scorching hot it appeared nearly translucent. Walking the razor's edge between life, death, withering, and thriving, he cleanly shattered the divine ring, obliterating the "corona."
Sun Chengjun's face changed drastically. Like a ghost wandering the night mist sea, he retreated with unbelievable speed, evading the strike aimed at his skull.
Even so, a lock of his hair was grazed. In an instant, that strand lost its luster, turning an ashen gray as if drained of all vitality.
Then, the cluster of hair crumbled into flying ash.
He was a powerhouse of the fourth realm who had cultivated Hunyuan force for years. That he could not swiftly take down a youth of the third realm was utterly unacceptable to him.
Heavenly light radiated all around. In Sun Chengjun's grasp appeared a pudao—a sharp blade paired with a long handle suited for two-handed gripping, nearly two meters long.
He had drawn his weapon, grave and fully committed!
Sun Chengjun leaped into the air, gripping the long shaft with both hands, and brought it down toward Qin Ming with the momentum of splitting Mount Hua. That dazzling blade-glow projected intimidating saber intent, as if capable of severing rivers and leveling famous peaks across the world.
In that instant, poised midair, solemn and dignified, he seemed like a deity descending to the mortal realm. Saber qi spilled out, and heavenly light shattered the dark curtain of night.
Qin Ming was fearless. At such a juncture, he chose to clash head-on, showing no intention of evading. He vaulted into the air as well, the arm-length mutton-fat jade iron saber surging with boundless golden flames that burned away the night mist.
"The Golden Crow Clamping the Saber stance—he actually mastered it!" An immortal land genius watching from Shanhe Academy felt immense shock. Among their generation, few could fathom the Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Classic, let alone its final killer stances.
Beneath the vault of heaven, it seemed as if a golden crow soared across the sky. Accompanied by a terrifying metallic clang, both treasured sabers threw off divine light, tearing through the night sky.
In their fierce exchange, blade-light rolled like an endless sea. The two figures shot forward wielding their sabers like twin comets streaking across the heavens, exchanging over a hundred blows in a fleeting breath.
When they landed, both weapons were battered beyond recognition, riddled with notches and chipped edges.
"Universal Deliverance of the Ten Directions!" Sun Chengjun murmured. He and the long-handled pudao seemed to merge into one before expanding outward with layer upon layer of heavenly light.
Pushing Hunyuan force to the absolute limit, he unleashed a sect-guarding saber art known as Universal Deliverance of the Ten Directions. Man and blade unified, shining like a blazing sun as a vast sea of blade-light surged toward his adversary.
Qin Ming held his saber with one hand, his heavenly light pulling inward. In complete contrast to his opponent, his space seemed to collapse, darken, and fall silent, returning toward pristine simplicity.
Yet the radiant blade-light Sun Chengjun projected could not harm him in the least; it was absorbed by the darkened zone around him, creating an astonishing sight.
*Boom!*
Sun Chengjun attacked violently, releasing sounds like collapsing mountains and surging tsunamis. Though it was a saber strike, it felt as though entire mountain ranges were being demolished, giving off the sensation of heaven and earth caving in.
He moved like a Giant Spirit God, every subtle motion bearing destructive intent.
That saber intent was horrifying: its blade-light illuminated all creation, carrying amidst the vast, desolate tribulation of slaughter a sliver of life—though that life was reserved solely for himself.
*Clang!*
Qin Ming struck. At this moment, his domain was no longer dark or quiet; instead, it erupted like magma boiling within an abyss. A streak of white blade-light surged into the sky, seemingly connecting heaven and earth.
Simultaneously, various marvelous phenomena materialized around him: a divine sea linked to the firmament was sliced open by a saber stroke; thunder roiled across eight directions above the ninth heaven, only to be extinguished by a single slash; a boundless abyss swallowed the sun, moon, and stars, yet was cleaved asunder by this very strike...
"That's a killer stance from the Heaven-Severing Strategy!" someone cried out in shock and awe.
Sky-Severing force was renowned across the world, reputed to cut through any barrier and even sever the heavens themselves. That Qin Ming could display such legendary saber intent caused many onlookers' pupils to contract.
Qin Ming had not actually mastered Sky-Severing force. Lu Zizai had taught him only the saber stances without the force method, fearing that premature integration would cause his physical body to rupture.
Now, driven by Hunyuan force, Qin Ming bore this saber intent effortlessly. Its power was terrifying, its blade-light alarming.
Sky-Severing saber intent collided against the blade-light of Universal Deliverance of the Ten Directions. Between them formed a catastrophic storm zone of saber intent, with vast blade-light and boiling force that seemed capable of burning the sky and boiling the seas!
Finally, with a clear clang, the sound of a blade snapping rang through the battlefield. Both weapons were forged of jade iron, yet one of them had been severed.
Everyone stared intently at the field. Many grew tense, such as Xiao Wu and Xiang Yiwu, fearing Qin Ming might suffer an accident, given his opponent's formidable background.
As the blade-light died down and heavenly light receded, the two figures stood sixty paces apart. The wide robe sleeve on Sun Chengjun's right arm was shredded, and the long saber in his hand was missing a section, cleanly lopped off!
In truth, a wound ran across his arm where the blade-light had grazed him. Blood was about to seep out, but he controlled his flesh to seal the cut, keeping it hidden.
His mind was severely shaken, his eyes growing deep and brooding. He had practiced Hunyuan force for years—could he really be inferior to a green youth? To think he had been wounded here.
Though the injury was minor, the psychological impact was significant, shaking his conviction in the orthodoxy's invincibility.
Although Qin Ming's mutton-fat jade iron saber was densely notched, it showed no sign of snapping.
His azure robes fluttered, and his black hair whipped in the night wind. His eyes shone brightly, his bearing otherworldly, his techniques both potent and intimidating.
*Thud!*
A heavy, muffled sound echoed through the long night as a blue demon-subduing pestle appeared in Sun Chengjun's hand.
It was thick and weighty, a heavy weapon. As Sun Chengjun exerted strength, the space around it seemed to warp and cave under the pressure.
The battle was not over. Radiating murderous intent, the descendant of Past Rulai had drawn his most powerful weapon.
Qin Ming put away the mutton-fat jade iron saber. He knew this weapon would require extensive nourishment with heavenly light to recover; clashing against that treasured pestle now would snap it.
He currently possessed multiple handy weapons, such as the crimson jade sword and the God-Measuring Ruler crafted from the Nine-Life Tree—the latter being a peerless treasure.
However, he used neither, instead bringing out a massive, exceedingly heavy ink-jade hammer—a trophy claimed from the battle on the Plain of Divine Demise.
Many onlookers' eyes gleamed. In choosing such a weapon, Qin Ming was clearly meeting force with force!
"This is the peak battle of the Newborn path's younger generation!" someone remarked.
"One is a youth, but the other is hard to say. Sun Chengjun is probably like Little Rulai, having cultivated for quite a few years."
As murmurs spread, the auras of both combatants soared. Each became like a sun illuminating the ten directions with heavenly light, both circulating Hunyuan force.
Many young cultivators felt their souls shaken, unable to stop from trembling as vast waves surged within their hearts. What kind of terrifying heavenly light was this?
Even senior figures wore solemn expressions. When it came to the legendary Chaos force, those who could truly master it and attain perfection were exceedingly few.
Yet today, two prodigious talents who had both walked exceptionally far in this domain and mastered the legendary force were engaged in a decisive showdown right before their eyes.
"Ahem, the people from Past Rulai's line said this is merely a top-level exchange and sparring match between the Newborn path's youths. Win or lose, it won't affect the fraternal bond between our sides..." Yu Gensheng spoke up, rattling off a long string of remarks.
For instance, he emphasized that high-ranking elders of Past Rulai's lineage had declared no one was permitted to make an issue of this.
He also mentioned that after this battle, Qin Ming would enter seclusion, and hoped all parties would not disturb him.
On the battlefield, Sun Chengjun's expression darkened slightly. That old man was spouting sheer nonsense. If he failed to take Qin Ming away today, touching Qin Ming later would indeed become difficult.
That old fellow was babbling lies precisely to establish certain "facts."
For that very reason, Sun Chengjun threw his entire being into the fight. Holding the blue treasured pestle, he tore across the sky with a roar that seemed to crush the firmament, charging at the youth.
Qin Ming likewise vaulted into midair, swinging the massive ink-jade hammer. He crashed toward his opponent like a bolt of lightning, letting out a frightening sonic boom that plowed through the night sky, instantly blasting apart the vast night mist.
*Boom!*
Heaven and earth shook violently. Two humanoid suns wielding heavy weapons met midair. The ferocious collision and deafening roar left many onlookers dizzy, feeling as though their eardrums were about to burst.
The hammer in Qin Ming's hands fell like dense raindrops, constantly crashing against Sun Chengjun's demon-subduing pestle. The night sky seemed to bloom with dense lightning, or rather miniature suns bursting apart.
In that fleeting breath, both men's blood boiled and their heavenly light poured out without restraint, the hammer and treasured pestle straining as if on the verge of disintegrating.
Both fought with the purest Hunyuan force channeled through heavy weapons, eager to shatter the other on the spot.
Sun Chengjun felt unbearable agony throughout his entire body. The web between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand gripping the pestle had torn open, dripping blood down the handle.
He found it hard to believe. He genuinely sensed that his opponent's heavenly light was far more overbearing, fierce, and terrifying than his own, possessing the momentum to crush dry weeds and smash rotten wood.
Rage flared in his chest. If a proud expert of the Heart Lamp realm were defeated by a youth of the Spirit Field realm, what face would he have left in Night Province? It would only serve to cement the other's illustrious fame.
The mere thought of the orthodox branch losing to a collateral line was unbearable; he had to win this battle.
Yet reality was cruel. As they clashed head-on, his heavenly light was being steadily eroded, unable to budge his opponent's great hammer.
With a tremendous boom, Qin Ming unleashed the Withering and Thriving Hammer. The blow shook Sun Chengjun's body as though sapping his life force; a decaying power crept in, turning several strands of hair at his temples white.
"One strike, two strikes..."
His opponent was actually counting! Heavenly light churned violently in Sun Chengjun's chest, and combined with surging fury, he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
*Boom!*
The next instant, Qin Ming unleashed the Upright Ape Demon Hammer, smashing downward.
He freely employed various arts, using this battle to hone his skills.
Next, the Golden Crow Illuminates the Night Hammer swept across the sky!
Qin Ming adapted various classics effortlessly, executing them at will, yet each possessed unmatched, colossal might.
Sun Chengjun's body shuddered violently, his bones popping in deafening bursts. Though he fought to maintain composure, his interior was truly giving out—vitality roiled, and his physical body felt on the brink of exploding.
At this very moment, while Qin Ming appeared perfectly calm on the surface, he was deeply shaken within. Upon catching the essence of his opponent's Hunyuan heavenly light, he discovered that he seemed capable of... devouring and fusing with it!
Chapter 383