Victory and Defeat

"What kind of thing am I?" A twisted sneer flickered across Leng Tianfeng's eyes. Yaoguang's words seemed to stir long-buried memories within him. How many years had it been? Ever since he condensed his Origin Spirit, how many years had passed without anyone daring to speak to him like this? Yet now... This person of unknown origin—who might be a descender, a local rogue cultivator, or perhaps an indigenous native who had stumbled upon some ancient inheritance—dared to humiliate him like this?! Did he truly believe that he, Leng Tianfeng, was incapable of killing?! "Today, I'll show you what kind of thing I am!" Leng Tianfeng brought his hands together with a sharp clap. Behind him, an imposing, colossal silhouette surged into existence. It was... A human statue. A statue whose face differed from his current host, representing his true body. The figure stood a full ten meters tall. At first glance, it appeared entirely translucent, but as Leng Tianfeng abruptly flung his arms wide, a terrifying force capable of striking dread into the hearts of any Martial Saint, Spirit Intent Martial Saint, or Hunyuan Martial Saint began condensing above him. As Leng Tianfeng raised both hands high to form a divine seal, the power gathered by the ten-meter-tall phantom behind him merged with the seal held aloft. With overwhelming savagery, it crashed downward toward the charging Yaoguang. "Divine Moon Demon-Suppressing Great Fearless Seal!" The silhouette materialized by Leng Tianfeng's Origin Spirit stood ten meters tall. Combined with his own power, the coordinated strike resembled an enormous giant bringing down an earth-shattering blow against Yaoguang, who stood less than 1.8 meters tall. Ten meters was colossal—taller than a three-story building. Let alone human flesh and blood, a blow packing such monstrous power would pulverize a heavy-duty truck in an instant. And indeed, the clash bore out that destructive might. The moment the two forces collided, another thunderous roar erupted in midair. A visible wave of air shattered between them, transforming into a shockwave that swept outward across dozens, then over a hundred meters. Countless leaves and blades of grass were hurled into the sky. Countless branches and thorns snapped violently before the exploding blast. Even Xie Yushu and the terrifying demons standing relatively close were forced to stumble back repeatedly to escape the howling gale. As for the unfortunate soul who had no time to dodge—Mo Guang, president of the Rebirth Society—his burly frame was violently hurled through the air, tumbling over a dozen meters before slamming heavily into the ground. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. Already on the verge of death and grievously injured, he was left with no hope of survival. The breath of life rapidly drained from his body. The president of the Rebirth Society, a man who had posed an immense threat to the Jishi Society and the Crimson Star Empire alike, perished in a manner that could hardly be called glorious—one that was downright pathetic. ... At the center of the raging gale, both combatants were thrown backward once more. Yet Leng Tianfeng was visibly thrown farther than Yaoguang. The qi and blood throughout his body churned violently. Clearly, he had suffered far greater damage than Yaoguang. Even so, there was not the slightest trace of fear in the Soul-Commanding Envoy's eyes. He knew very well that Yaoguang was relying on adrenaline and the gene liberation technique to unleash power surpassing his own. Not only was such power unsustainable, but it also placed an immense burden on the body. Once that vessel could no longer support the strain... Leng Tianfeng wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Yaoguang's body would simply collapse and kill him on the spot. "Good! Now that's more like it! Come, fight me again!" Having steadied himself after being blasted back, Yaoguang charged forward once more without the slightest hesitation, his blade slashing out. The mountainous momentum channeled through his sword swept forward like an avalanche, rolling over the earth and denying Leng Tianfeng even a moment to catch his breath. "If you seek death, I shall grant it!" Leng Tianfeng showed no intention of retreating either. With a low roar, he fully tapped into and unleashed every ounce of potential within this Heavenly Being body, lunging forward to meet Yaoguang's incoming charge. Above him, the Origin Spirit that resembled his true form channeled an even vaster and heavier momentum of heaven and earth, fusing completely with his offensive. Even against Yaoguang, who was bolstered by the Child of the Stars trait, he did not give an inch. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* Clashes! Clashes! Relentless clashes! Two cultivators whose strength was so formidable that even true Heavenly Beings might not have outperformed them collided head-on in midair without any pretense or deception. The might packed into their strikes was enough to flatten an armored combat vehicle on the spot. The shockwaves radiating from each collision swept over a hundred meters. The destructive force tore every flower, blade of grass, and tree within that hundred-meter radius to shreds. Fortunately, the onlookers present were without exception Martial Saint-level existences who had shattered human limits. Had ordinary people—even Martial Masters who had yet to temper their internal organs—dared to approach within several dozen meters, the vibrations generated by the impacts would have shattered their viscera. In other words, had they been fighting on a bustling street rather than in this mountain forest, their relentless exchanges would have demolished an entire city block. If they had fought on the move, the shockwaves alone would have vibrated tens of thousands of people to death within a matter of minutes. Not slain directly, but vibrated to death. The mere aftershocks could inflict tens of thousands of casualties. That alone illustrated the sheer destructive potential of a Heavenly Being! To destroy a city or conquer a nation was entirely a matter of time. However, through their continuous clashes, Leng Tianfeng gradually noticed something amiss! He was growing stronger! Yaoguang... was growing stronger! No! It was not growth in the conventional sense, but rather... Certain memories were awakening within him! Originally, while the attacks Yaoguang unleashed were formidable and his techniques were exceptional—even at the peak of mastery—they were still a step shy of reaching effortless perfection and turning the mundane into the miraculous. Yet as their battle dragged on, he seemed to grow increasingly proficient with those techniques, mastering how to engage in a life-and-death struggle with Leng Tianfeng's current form. It was like a veteran driver of ten years who hadn't touched a wheel in months. Getting back behind the wheel required a brief period of readjustment, but once that period passed, he could tear down the road so fast that others wouldn't even catch a glimpse of his wheel rims. That was precisely the impression Yaoguang gave Leng Tianfeng. In reality, Yaoguang was digesting the information previously obtained from the ancient tree, converting it into combat effectiveness and putting theory into practice. Yet to Leng Tianfeng's eyes... It seemed as though Yaoguang was reclaiming his past combat instincts. Furthermore... Leng Tianfeng could tell that while he himself was a pure practitioner of the Divine Path, Yaoguang was different. Not only did Yaoguang possess profound attainments in the Divine Path, but his comprehension of the Martial Path had reached a level rivaling that of a Star Lord. At present, Leng Tianfeng was possessing a body refining seventh-layer martial artist rather than a spirit refining seventh-layer spirit cultivator. If he truly allowed Yaoguang to fully regain his Star Lord-level combat experience... With that realization, Leng Tianfeng made up his mind. If this vessel was destroyed, he could simply find another. But if he was defeated and captured by this fellow "descender," the consequences would be unimaginable. In that single instant, his body turned bright crimson, as though the qi and blood throughout his entire being had been set ablaze. Ignited alongside it was his essence, energy, and spirit. Under this burning state, the silhouette above his head threw back its head in a silent roar. Boundless flames gathered above his body, burning with ferocious intensity until they coalesced into a blazing sun! A scorching sun that seemed capable of searing the soul itself. Those present who had not even developed spirit intent felt an uncontrollable, blistering heat deep within their minds just by glancing at that great sun, as if their very bodies were catching fire. Even experts who had condensed spirit intent, such as Xie Yushu, felt scorching heat course through them, desperate to plunge themselves into a pool of icy water to fend off the blistering aura. With the sun condensed, Leng Tianfeng raised his right hand high once more. The burning qi and blood in his body resonated with a hand seal he formed, and using his own qi and blood as a conduit, he allowed the ten-meter-tall phantom to merge that blazing sun into the precious seal. The instant the seal formed, a deep, resonant sound like a great temple bell reverberated through the void. It was as if an imposing, sacred, and magnificent entity was chanting a Buddhist verse aloud. Great Sun Tathagata True Seal! As the hand seal pressed downward, everyone's spiritual world seemed to behold the descent of a true sun. From within that sun, a colossal hand capable of blotting out the sky reached forth, crushing down toward Yaoguang. Before such power, let alone the towering mountain Yaoguang channeled, even a genuine celestial body would... No! Yaoguang seemed to sense the utter finality of Leng Tianfeng's strike. Pushing the might of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration and the Star Ignition secret technique to their absolute limits, he utilized his transcendent state of essence, energy, and spirit to overload his Life Force Field. Bolstered by the Child of the Stars trait and the Earth Furnace technique, he... Seemed to truly transform into a star. A terrifying celestial body stretching boundlessly across tens of thousands of li. Moreover, compared to the sky-blotting hand of Leng Tianfeng's Great Sun Tathagata True Seal, which hung like rootless duckweed, the star embodied by Yaoguang was far more grounded. Because... What he drew upon was the power of the very earth beneath his feet—the power of this planet. In a daze, Xie Yushu and the others felt as though they had returned to Cangwu, witnessing the legendary tales of supreme ancient battles. Ancient gods and Buddhas, plucking stars and seizing moons, striding across the nine heavens. Before them stood a mighty figure capable of plucking stars and seizing moons, attempting to blot out the sky with a single hand and crush the planet they stood upon. How strikingly similar was this scene to those ancient legends?! However... The ancient era was the ancient era! Gods and Buddhas were gods and Buddhas! Compared to a true ancient god or Buddha, the Leng Tianfeng before them fell unimaginably short. As he attempted to emulate an ancient divinity seizing a star, the instant the two collided, an overwhelming backlash from the astral force field erupted. An astral force field so colossal that no flesh-and-blood body could ever withstand it surged in reverse, engulfing Leng Tianfeng's frame. Even though Leng Tianfeng immediately sensed the star's backlash—or rather, the immense recoil born from a direct clash of divine abilities—and violently threw himself backward, the crushing impact rolled over him without pause, causing his body to fracture and crack on the spot. It could not endure the strain! Even though he had forged a Heavenly Being body, it could no longer bear the burden and teetered on the brink of total collapse! Fortunately, Yaoguang's condition couldn't be much better. He... *What?!* Leng Tianfeng's mind shuddered violently. Unharmed. Su Yaoguang appeared completely unscathed. Having taken the Great Sun Tathagata True Seal head-on, he launched another charge without the slightest pause?! *How is that possible?!* Disbelief flooded his eyes. He could see that Yaoguang's body was gravely injured, yet he could still maintain combat strength close to his peak. Just what kind of technique was this?! Regardless of the technique, the outcome had already been decided. "Flee!" Filled with terror, he didn't dare hesitate for a fraction of a second, immediately retreating at full speed. Yet the moment his focus wavered as he shot backward, a streak of sword light burst from the nearby woods with unfathomable speed, piercing straight through his skull. This was... A flying sword! Leng Tianfeng's retreating figure froze instantly.