Dragons Amid the Clouds, A Sword Cleaves the Land

Boom! A dull, oppressive thud reverberated through his limbs and bones, penetrating straight into his eardrums. The cloud-mist giant, seemingly insubstantial moments before, was now remarkably dense and solid. In its clash against Luo Chen’s three-headed, six-armed golden body, it was a battle of pure, solid force. The two colossal figures tumbled down the slope of Heaven and Earth Peak, crushing ancient trees and shattering rigid stone beneath them. Reaching the mountain's base, a deafening tremor exploded. Shockwaves burst through the void, dust billowing from the ground! Amidst the churning clouds of smoke and dust, Luo Chen slowly rose to his feet, glaring intently at the cloud-mist giant opposite him. Without a word, he unleashed an ultimate technique! His hands grasped empty air, stretching outwards to either side; in an instant, the Huntian Cudgel materialized, thick as a pillar supporting the heavens. Gripping the grey-white stone cudgel, Luo Chen mustered boundless weight and leaped forward, smashing it down. Boom! The cloud-mist giant raised both arms to parry, taking the blow head-on. Yet Luo Chen possessed more than a single pair of arms, and his assault was far from limited to one move. Two streaks of golden radiance flickered like striking vipers, sweeping in from the flanks before suddenly snapping bolt-straight as they neared the giant. Chi! Chi! The cloud-mist giant looked down to find two golden plumes impaling its heart and lower abdomen. Luo Chen broke into a savage grin. Colossal strength surged through his hands, and the two Life-Taking Golden Plumes began violently churning through the giant's insides. "Break!" With a low shout, golden light flared brilliantly! As Luo Chen ripped the Life-Taking Golden Plumes free, a gaping hole tore open through the giant's vast chest, letting the light of day shine through. "With tricks like this, you dare contest my peerless hand-to-hand prowess?" Luo Chen muttered under his breath, turning his gaze toward the heavens once more. The God Descent Array was still operating. The killing intent radiating from the upper realm grew increasingly pronounced; faintly, within the pillar of light, ripples stirred in the void as though opening a gateway into another world. Suddenly! An alarm flared in Luo Chen's heart. He spun around just as the cloud-mist giant—its vitals pierced moments ago—drove a fist toward him. Boom! Luo Chen neither dodged nor retreated, bracing against the strike with his physical body. The black armor across his torso flowed like mercury, dispersing the peerless impact, eliciting merely a stifled grunt from him. Infused with four supreme-grade lotus seeds and fortified with the pure source-blood of the profound turtle, the reforged Xuanchen Armor possessed defensive might unmatched under heaven. Though uncertain how it compared against spirit-treasure-tier defensive treasures, it was certainly not something an entity of this caliber could shatter at will. Luo Chen slid backward for several li, shedding the immense momentum. Looking back at the cloud-mist giant, its demeanor had shifted completely. The gaping cavity blasted open by the Life-Taking Golden Plumes was knitting closed at incredible speed, as though it were unkillable and immortal. Meanwhile, mist swirled over its form as a pure white python and a fanged serpent hissed into existence, coiling around the giant like fluttering ribbons. "A stubborn nuisance!" Luo Chen took a deep breath and charged forward once more. The Huntian Cudgel swept across, meeting brute force with brute force. Golden plumes flickered, blending supple fluidity with an indestructible, razor-sharp edge. The cloud-mist giant held its ground without ceding an inch, clenching fists and sweeping palms to clash directly against the Huntian Cudgel. The white python and fanged serpent writhing across its frame screeched as they tangled and clashed with the two Life-Taking Golden Plumes, not falling behind in the slightest. Just as the giant parried the grey-white stone cudgel once more, Luo Chen's head suddenly pivoted. The fair human face gave way to a wrathful yaksha visage. The hideous yaksha visage opened its cavernous maw, unleashing a roar that shook the firmament. "Roar!" A surging sonic wave transformed into an irresistible blast of qi, rolling forward like an endless tidal wave. Caught off guard, the cloud-mist giant's surrounding cloud qi began to disintegrate beneath the onslaught, leaving the bulk of its form insubstantial. Seizing the opening, Luo Chen slammed the Huntian Cudgel down! Thud! The cloud-mist giant's head was smashed directly into its chest beneath its shoulders. Its entire body was driven deep into the rigid earth. After taking such damage, there was no way it could recover, could it? Luo Chen drew a ragged breath, slowly retrieving the stone cudgel. Atop Heaven and Earth Peak. Liancheng watched the display, a look of contempt surfacing in his eyes. Even if his opponent demonstrated remarkable martial prowess, he was merely an ignorant rogue cultivator from the wilderness. How could he fathom the marvelous mysteries of the immortal Dao? One of Liancheng's hands raised a seal toward heaven, while the other formed an incantation pointing toward the earth. With a subtle shift of the mudra in his left hand, the sea of clouds across the nine heavens churned. In an instant, another boundless surge of cloud qi poured into the giant below. Ignoring whatever transformations unfolded within the giant, Liancheng continued to maintain the seal of the God Descent Array. Beneath Heaven and Earth Peak. Luo Chen stared in astonishment at the cloud-mist giant. From its neck, another head had abruptly sprouted. Meanwhile, the head that had been driven down also surfaced across its chest. What was more, cloud qi billowed behind its back, and under his divine sense, another face had emerged from behind. Could this be considered a bizarre variation of Three Heads? After the initial shock, Luo Chen regained his composure instantly. Recalling the serpent and viper that had sprouted from the giant after the Life-Taking Golden Plumes' ambush... "This giant possesses an exceptional capacity to learn and mimic. But that power doesn't originate from the giant itself—it comes from Liancheng! It comes from that sea of clouds!" Luo Chen slowly stepped back. The wrathful yaksha's eyes remained locked on the cloud-mist giant, while the fair human head looked skyward. Sure enough, the ancient sea of clouds churned violently, channeling streams of cloud qi down into the giant's frame. "A sea of clouds... an illusory manifestation... a giant." Luo Chen murmured under his breath, suddenly realizing why this technique had felt so familiar! Years ago, when Divine Lord Youli of the Southern Border ascended, he had manifested an illusory form towering between heaven and earth within a sea of clouds! That had been an illusory form—referred to in ancient records as a dharma idol—forcibly condensed from his own law-imbued magic power as he stood on the verge of the Void Refining stage! With Liancheng's cultivation realm, reaching such heights was impossible. In truth, even Divine Lord Youli's dharma idol had been somewhat insubstantial, far inferior to the phoenix dharma idol condensed by Monarch Qixia during the battle of Mingyuan. Yet Liancheng was no fool; having attained the Soul Formation stage, he could well be called an extraordinary prodigy. He had once been wounded by Divine Lord Youli. But through that encounter, he had gleaned some of the lord's methods. By mimicking them, he had used a vast expanse of cloud qi and his own magic power to manifest this cloud-mist giant. As long as that sea of clouds persisted, even if Luo Chen tore the giant to pieces, it would swiftly reform. Moreover, through each exchange, the giant could learn and replicate Luo Chen's techniques, countering them accordingly. "Did you truly believe Luo was a fool?" Luo Chen chuckled savagely. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward, closing in on the cloud-mist giant. The behemoth roared, leaping toward Luo Chen as well. Its deafening roar carried rolling sonic waves, blatantly mimicking Luo Chen's earlier yaksha shout. Faced with such crude mimicry, Luo Chen neither dodged nor weaved, weathering the blast with his sturdy body and the depth of his soul. He reached out with two hands to grasp the foe, and the giant did the same. Four massive hands locked tightly together in a contest of sheer physical might. Fierce winds swept in from the sides as the white python and fanged serpent lunged simultaneously at Luo Chen. Luo Chen thrust out two more hands, gripping the serpent and python by their throats, leaving them thrashing in futility. Next! Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! Crimson chains erupted from within Luo Chen, shooting forth like volleys of arrows and piercing into the cloud-mist giant's body. Each chain carried tremendous suppressing power, temporarily preventing the enemy from mobilizing its strength. Finally, Luo Chen's remaining two millstone-sized palms slammed into the giant's torso in rapid succession. With every strike, an infusion of source-blood was driven inside. Every blow carried the power of a restrictive seal. After eighteen consecutive strikes, Luo Chen unleashed both palms at once. "Shatter!" The world seemed to pause for a heartbeat, followed by a resonant sound of violent fracture ringing across the void. Crack! The colossal cloud-mist giant suddenly split into countless shards. Watching from above, Liancheng remained unfazed and guided more cloud qi downward. Yet this time, no matter how immense the volume of cloud qi channeled into the fragments, they could not reconstitute. Faintly, a crimson halo blocked the cloud qi from merging together. "A blood restriction technique?" Liancheng's brow furrowed slightly, apparently surprised that his opponent possessed such sophisticated finesse. Yet that was far from the only surprise. Utilizing Overlord Sheds Armor in conjunction with the source-blood restrictions, Luo Chen had completely sealed the cloud-mist giant away, denying it any chance of restoring itself. Now, only one objective remained! Crouching slightly, the nearly thousand-zhang titan planted both feet firmly into the earth, then abruptly looked up! Dong! With a surge of power in his legs, he shot into the sky like an arrow unleashed from a bowstring. Liancheng barked softly, "Go!" Within the boundless sea of clouds, dragon claws emerged. A cloud dragon brandished its claws and bared its fangs, followed by several more, gathering from few to many until they numbered in the thousands and tens of thousands! Staring down at the colossal giant hurtling upward, all the cloud dragons plunged in unison. Confronted with this onslaught, Luo Chen felt no fear. Chains churned across his body, and streak after streak of crimson chain surged forward. Chi! Chi! Chi! Every cloud dragon seeking to tear Luo Chen apart was shattered before the crimson chains formed by the Hunyuan Cauldron, dissolving into pure cloud qi that returned to the sea above. Yet moments later, more cloud dragons condensed within the clouds. Just like the cloud-mist giant before, as long as the sea of clouds remained, an endless horde of monstrosities would be born. Luo Chen's gaze turned grim. Forming hand seals, he barked, "Come forth!" In the next breath! Behind him, a brilliant, dazzling golden bird screeched and soared into the sky. Its speed was astonishing, as though cleaving straight through the void. Its might was even more terrifying, trailed by ribbons of golden flame. In a mere instant, the golden firebird plunged into the sea of clouds. Thousands upon thousands of cloud dragons roared, encircling it from all sides. Yet with a single beat of its wings, the golden firebird showered ribbons of golden flame, incinerating every cloud dragon to ash. "Skre-e-e!" A resonant, piercing cry echoed through the cosmos. Surging waves of flame swept across the eight directions, and the ancient sea of clouds that had shrouded Heaven and Earth Peak for countless years instantly collapsed. Countless clouds shattered, unleashing torrential rain. Amidst the downpour, the golden firebird unfurled its plumage with reckless abandon, its scorching heat vaporizing the deluge into nothingness. Until the air turned crisp and clear, and the sky shone like washed jade. Dong! Luo Chen finally set foot upon the mountain's summit! Directly opposite him, inside the God Descent Array, Liancheng could sit still no longer. His fingers trembled slightly, a flicker of terror in his eyes as he looked upon the golden firebird, quickly giving way to boundless fury. "Nirvana Holy Fire!" "You belong to that demon phoenix!" As he spoke, his divine sense surged forth, exerting an aura heavy as a mountain upon Luo Chen. Luo Chen paused his step, then unleashed his own divine sense to fortify his Nascent Soul domain. The moment the sea of clouds dissolved, the Heaven-Earth Severing Array that had enveloped Heaven and Earth Peak collapsed entirely! A verdant-white fire tree returned into Luo Chen's body alongside the golden firebird. Seeing this, the last shred of contempt vanished from Liancheng's eyes, replaced by grave seriousness. He had previously assumed that possessing a Tier 5 verdant-white flame was all this youth had accomplished, still far inferior to the Sun True Fire wielded by his sect's junior, Shi Ju. But with the appearance of the Nirvana Holy Fire, he knew that common sense could no longer measure Luo Chen. Above all, the opponent had unleashed divine sense to fortify a Nascent Soul domain, clashing evenly against his own divine domain without falling behind. This was an existence who had condensed a primordial spirit early, comprehended the true meaning of laws, and mastered two great Tier 5 divine flames—an individual barely distinguishable from a Soul Formation grandmaster. Perhaps the only difference was the absence of a life soul. Withstanding the pressure, Luo Chen stepped forward pace by pace. At some point, a longsword had appeared in his grasp. The sword was archaic, etched with blood-chilling grooves. A crimson halo draped its length, as though it had drunk the blood of hundreds of millions. He looked toward the sky-piercing pillar of light. With the sea of clouds gone, starlight swirled within the pillar, where an illusory silhouette flickered, seemingly poised to descend into this world at any moment. "True Monarch of the upper realm, you shall not descend!" Luo Chen did not bother to clarify whether he served Monarch Qixia, uttering only cold, merciless words. Then, he struck with his sword! Liancheng watched with a cold sneer. The God Descent Array was already fully activated, anchored to Heaven and Earth Peak as its beacon, fueled by a Tier 5 spirit vein, and guided by the spiritual opportunity of an entire continent. The resilience of the resulting light pillar practically rivaled the entirety of the Central Plains! How could Luo Chen hope to sever it with a single sword strike? A boundless sword beam descended, crashing against the pillar of light. Clang! A terrifying sonic boom shook all of Heaven and Earth Peak. Disbelief flickered across Liancheng's eyes. From within the sky-piercing pillar of light came a furious roar: "Insolent junior, how dare you!" "What dare I not?!" The sword light rose once more, unleashing another strike. Boundless firmament qi converged, forging a torrential flood of sword qi at its sharpest and most domineering. It felt as if anything foolish enough to stand before this blade would be eradicated. "Stop him!" Within the swaying pillar of light, the roar rang out again. Unable to sit idle any longer, Liancheng rose to his full height. Magic power surged through his body, mobilizing boundless world energy, before he thrust a palm into the void. "Near Yet Far!" The world energy in the void turned chaotic. Luo Chen's body shifted slightly, and even Heaven and Earth Peak before his eyes seemed to recede beyond reach. Yet the sword strike had already been loosed and could not be recalled; he could only follow his instincts and drive the blade down. Boom! The vast sword qi poured forth like a deluge. One sword fell, severing the land! Tiandi Island, whose vast expanse rivaled a continent, was sliced in two like tofu beneath that single strike. The torrential sword qi raged onward without pause, splitting the entire surrounding ocean in two. Sky-high tidal waves rose thousands upon tens of thousands of zhang into the air, only to crash thunderously back onto the ocean's surface, claiming the lives of countless creatures in the wake of that strike. A bloody hue washed over the ocean, while smoke and dust shrouded the fractured Tiandi Island. Watching this with lingering dread, Liancheng secretly rejoiced at his fortune. Had he not employed a divine ability technique to forcibly displace Luo Chen, that strike would undoubtedly have heavily damaged the God Descent Array, perhaps even severing the teleportation conduit entirely. This sword art was already comparable to a divine ability technique, and felt faintly familiar. As for the blade, it was peerlessly sharp, as though capable of cleaving all things. Far from an ordinary True Artifact, it had likely reached the caliber of a spirit treasure. Luo Chen slowly raised the longsword, angling the blade toward Liancheng. "This sword is named Yuan Tu. Today, it shall slaughter every Tianyuan grandmaster!"