The other two from the Eternal Clan were only at the Void Saint Realm.
As such, they posed not the slightest threat to Lu Yuan. He could crush opponents within the same cultivation realm, to say nothing of those an entire realm beneath him.
Yu Heng, however, was different. He stood in the Demi-Saint Realm, and his strength was exceedingly formidable. The moment the man took action, Lu Yuan sensed it and met the challenge with utmost gravity.
In an instant, the Great Sun Smelting Furnace materialized directly behind him. Layer upon layer of radiant light burst forth, driving the surrounding temperature to a terrifying extreme in mere moments.
On the other side, Yu Heng thrust a palm forward at the very same instant. A thunderous roar shook the air as a tremendous aura erupted.
Even the clouds drifting across the vault of heaven were blown apart. Farther back, Zhu Qingyu and the others felt an unbearable pressure bear down upon them, their faces turning deathly pale.
A battle of this caliber was hard enough to endure from a distance, let alone up close. Soon enough, once all the blinding brilliance dispersed, the onlookers discovered Lu Yuan still hovering alone in midair. With one hand, he continued to pin Yu Qing down, confronting Yu Hong and Yu Heng before him.
Evidently, neither side had gained the slightest advantage in that brief clash.
"Your strength is indeed remarkable, and you have actually attained the Demi-Saint Realm. Still, I should like to see just how much weight this Demi-Saint Realm of yours truly carries!" Yu Heng said slowly, his eyes icy and detached.
By now, he was thoroughly incensed and refused to waste any more time. Without a single extraneous movement, he raised his hand once more.
With a tremendous rumble, golden divine halos materialized across the sky for all to see. Bursting with myriad rays of brilliant light, the halos interwove until they coalesced into gleaming golden chains, each one pulsing with mysterious, formidable golden runes.
"The Divine Chains of Judgment? A great divine ability of the Eternal Clan!" In the distance, Lei Xiao of the Celestial Clan narrowed his eyes at the sight.
He could clearly feel the immense power coiled within those golden chains. From that alone, he instantly deduced that this was the Eternal Clan's signature divine ability—the Divine Chains of Judgment. True to its name, it executed judgment on behalf of heaven and earth.
Clang, clang, clang!
As they took shape, the golden chains multiplied into thousands upon thousands, hurtling straight toward Lu Yuan.
"You have thoroughly enraged my Eternal Clan! I am giving you one last chance: release me this instant and submit unconditionally! Only then will you have a chance to survive!" Still held captive, Yu Qing shouted, stubbornly trying to force Lu Yuan to bend the knee.
Sensing the terrifying might of the incoming chains and hearing Yu Qing's grating threats, Lu Yuan's eyes filled with killing intent. "Noisy!"
The moment the word fell from his lips, the power of the Great Sun Smelting Furnace above Lu Yuan's head unleashed itself completely. His fingers closed tightly around her.
Pfft!
In the next instant, Yu Qing's body exploded into fragments, eradicated completely. Lu Yuan knew that Yu Heng was exceedingly strong; keeping a hostage in hand would only prove burdensome. Since they were already destined to be mortal enemies, there was no need to show any courtesy. He simply crushed the captive to death.
With that done, Lu Yuan took a step forward, arcs of purple lightning coiling around his frame.
"You are courting death!" Seeing his kinswoman slaughtered before his eyes, Yu Heng flared with boundless fury and stepped forward.
In a flash, his figure vanished, while the divine halo above his head shone with blinding intensity. At the same time, the thousands of chains surged forth like golden flood dragons, following his charge as the entire void trembled.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the clash. A duel between a young prodigy of the Eternal Clan and Lu Yuan of the human race could very well reshape the current world order.
Among the spectators, the vast majority hoped Lu Yuan would die in this fight. The reason was simple: since his rise, far too many had been suppressed by his presence, unable to take a single step out of line. If he perished, it would be an unmitigated blessing for them all.
At last, beneath the watchful gazes of the crowd, the two figures collided.
Yu Heng truly lived up to the Eternal Clan's reputation. As he threw a punch, the thousands of Divine Chains of Judgment lashed out alongside it, radiating terror so profound that a mere brush of their tails shattered surrounding peaks to dust.
At this moment, Yu Heng resembled a descent of a deity, every move brimming with boundless power. Had it been anyone else, ninety-nine percent of the extraterrestrial beings present would likely have fallen within a single strike.
Unfortunately for Yu Heng, Lu Yuan was the opponent standing before him. Facing such a domineering onslaught, he showed not the faintest trace of fear.
His golden vitality surged in harmony with the Great Sun Smelting Furnace, releasing waves of peerless majesty. As he channeled the Jade Emperor Orthodox Heavenly Thunder Art, bolts of purple lightning descended relentlessly from the firmament, slamming head-on into the golden chains.
Boom!
The clash was deafening. Every strike rattled the heavens, weaving golden and purple radiance into an incandescent tempest. They fought high in the sky, the shockwaves tearing across a hundred li in every direction. Had this not been the mutated peaks of Mount Huang, the entire region would have been pulverized.
"This Lu Yuan is actually this strong, already having reached the Demi-Saint Realm... If he is allowed to keep growing, what will become of the cosmos?" Shock rippled through Lei Xiao's eyes as he watched from afar.
Though he did not know Yu Heng's exact standing, anyone hailing from the Eternal Clan was bound to be an elite among the younger generation—a presence rivaling the lineage of the Ji clan. Yet Lu Yuan fought him to a standstill, not yielding an inch.
If word of this spread, his fame would soar even higher. Moreover, Lei Xiao could not help but reflect on another terrifying truth: how long had it been since the Milky Way Star Sector began its revival? Yet Lu Yuan had already reached such heights. If given several more decades, he might step directly into the realm of immortals. By then, subduing him would be entirely out of the question.
It was not just Lei Xiao; the other extraterrestrial beings swallowed hard, stunned by Lu Yuan's display. His strength had far exceeded their wildest imaginations.
Meanwhile, Yu Hong, who had yet to join the fray, felt a lingering dread as he watched the duel. He counted himself fortunate that he had not chosen to fight Lu Yuan to the finish earlier; otherwise, he would never have lasted a single move.
"This won't do. The mythological secret realm of Mount Huang is about to open. If Lord Yu Heng exhausts too much strength in this battle, others might reap the rewards, and our journey here will have been for nothing. I have to do something," Yu Hong thought. He knew full well how many beings had come to Mount Tai, and there might still be others hiding in the shadows. The Eternal Clan was by no means invincible, and competing for the fortunes within would be fiercely contested; they had to conserve sufficient strength.
Just then, his gaze fell upon Zhu Qingyu and her companions. Knowing that Lu Yuan had brought them along, a thought flashed through his mind: if he captured them, could he turn the tables, use them to threaten Lu Yuan, and force him into absolute submission?
At that realization, a cold gleam surfaced in Yu Hong's eyes.
Chapter 267