Xia Huyou's face lit up with undisguised delight. He couldn't stop sneaking glances at Su Yu.
Even now, he could hardly believe it. Could what this guy handed over really be authentic?
Su Yu, however, didn't spare him another look.
He turned his gaze toward the battle zone not far away. With the arrival of Xia Yunqi and Hu Ping, two former geniuses of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, an unmatched level of combat prowess was on full display!
High-stage Shanhai!
As for the exact stage, Su Yu couldn't tell. All he knew was that the Shanhai cultivators already on the field were being forced back repeatedly.
His long spear thrusting like an azure dragon, Xia Yunqi pinned down a seventh-stage Shanhai while simultaneously suppressing another Shanhai combatant, beating the man back relentlessly.
Hu Ping, meanwhile, went up against Shan Tianhao, a ninth-stage Shanhai. She said little, her longsword illuminating the night sky with frost-like sword qi that crisscrossed in every direction!
The weapons in their hands were no ordinary cultural weapons!
Su Yu caught the distinctive rhythm of divine character battle techniques as individual characters flared with light.
Both of them were lethal, combat-oriented experts!
"Huyou, introduce them to me..."
Su Yu looked at Xia Huyou. He wanted to know who everyone present today was.
His horizons were too narrow; he recognized none of these Shanhai realm experts.
As the Manor Lord's son, Xia Huyou had an impression of virtually every Shanhai. Even if he hadn't met them in person, he had looked through their dossiers.
Without wasting words, he whispered, "You recognize Elder Wu Yuehua, right? The one she's fighting and beating down is Tang Yunfei from Jiutian Academy!"
"Over there..."
Xia Huyou pointed into the distance. A burly middle-aged man sat astride a fierce tiger, exuding raw savagery as he wielded a massive halberd, sending his male opponent flying back with every clash.
"The tiger rider is Elder He Qi of the Beast Taming faction, one of yours. His opponent is Elder Qiu Yunhua of Jiutian Academy..."
"And over there..."
Su Yu looked across. An elderly man was surrounded by countless floating talismans, conjuring frost, sword qi, lightning...
"That's Elder Fan Jin of the Divine Talisman faction, also on your side. His opponent is Elder Wang Ming of Wendao Academy..."
One after another, powerful figures were identified by Xia Huyou.
There were so many Shanhai experts!
They hailed from all over!
The Multiple Divine Characters Faction possessed plenty of experts of its own. Within the academy alone, four elders had stepped in. Excluding Hong Tan's group, adding those three brought the count to seven Shanhai realm cultivators from inside the academy who had joined the fray.
Beyond the academy, Shanhai elders from both Jiutian and Wendao had arrived as reinforcements, but even more Shanhai had appeared as enemies. The opposition clearly outnumbered them.
At this moment, more than twenty Shanhai were gathered here!
"That's Shan Tianhao, Dean of the Divine Character College at Great Zhou Civilization Academy, ninth-stage Shanhai..."
Xia Huyou highlighted Shan Tianhao in particular. "He has a grandson—the monstrous genius from the Great Zhou Prefecture everyone talks about, the one who reached Tengkong in just six months! But his grandson doesn't have much to do with him; he's the closed-door disciple of Zhou Polong, the Manor Head of Great Zhou Civilization Academy, taught entirely by his hand!"
Su Yu nodded. He had long known that the Great Zhou prodigy had a grandfather who was a senior researcher. So it was this man!
He etched each name into his memory.
In a low voice, Su Yu asked, "Some of these people seem to hold no grudge against us. Why intervene?"
"Profit!"
It was as simple as that.
Xia Huyou whispered, "Who wouldn't want to see the fifth head's divine character? Who wouldn't want it? Great Zhou Prefecture made its stance clear and even dispatched people. The rest are either currying favor with Zhou Polong or pursuing their own interests..."
"Currying favor?"
Su Yu murmured, "Aren't they afraid of offending the Xia family?"
Xia Huyou thought for a moment before answering quietly, "They aren't, because Civilization Masters primarily depend on the Quest Realm. Let's put it this way: the Xia family stands at the pinnacle of the martial path! Both King Daxia and Manor Lord Xia reached the summit directly through the Dao of War. In the Quest Realm, the Xia family doesn't carry much weight; Vice Head Xia Changqing and my granduncle Xia Yunqi are our family's peak in that domain."
At that moment, Su Yu seemed to grasp the broader picture.
He asked in a grave tone, "King Dazhou is a peak powerhouse of the Quest Realm?"
"Right!"
Xia Huyou nodded. "Now you finally get it, don't you? In the domain of Civilization Masters, Great Zhou Prefecture reigns supreme. Especially with Head Zhou Polong on the verge of breaking through to the Invincible Realm, set to become the next giant of the Quest Realm!"
Su Yu understood.
No wonder. Even on Xia family territory, while these people observed the Xia family's rules, they still dared to intervene in this battle. Civilization Masters did not truly answer to the Xia family.
If anything, the Xia family relied on Civilization Masters.
The Demon Suppression Army and the Longwu Guards both required vast numbers of them.
"Can't the Xia family rein them in?"
"Of course we can!"
Xia Huyou chuckled. "How could we not? You're underestimating the Xia family. But per the agreement between the Xia family and Civilization Masters back in the day, as long as they don't enlist in the military, the Xia family generally leaves them alone. Civilization Masters care a lot about freedom... The mobility of talent is normal. If they actually defect to Great Zhou Prefecture, there isn't much we can do about it either. Of course, running off to another prefecture usually comes at a heavy personal cost."
Su Yu nodded and asked no more.
***
Meanwhile, within the battle zone, murderous intent surged skyward!
Su Yu and the others could barely see what was happening; at most, they caught fleeting silhouettes.
Liu Wenyan remained standing where he was. By now, no Shanhai guarded his side; only several Lingyun cultivators who had just arrived stood watch around him with wary expressions.
Liu Wenyan glanced around and spoke up: "I will say it once more: the divine character cannot be manifested. If it ever is, only the descendants of those who fell alongside my teacher back then have the right to view it. No one else!"
"Are you truly determined to dig up Zhang Ruoling's grave? What if I move the grave back to Nanyuan and never return to the Great Xia Prefecture?"
"It can't be manifested?"
Someone barked coldly, "Xia Yunqi and Hu Ping both showed up, and they managed it! Why not you? Liu Wenyan, you are far too selfish! The fifth head's divine character doesn't belong to you alone—it belongs to everyone!"
"Well said! Countless Civilization Masters bled and died back then for the fifth head's attempt to attain the Dao. You monopolized the fifth head's divine character, and we gave you time—a full fifty years! Yet even today, you still make excuses!"
One Shanhai expert after another shouted in anger!
Liu Wenyan replied calmly, "The divine character indeed does not belong to me alone, but... some of you have no right to utter those words! Among the friends my teacher took with him back then, few left descendants behind. You lot claim to be senior martial brothers or junior martial brothers, grasping at distant, nonexistent ties. What right do you have to speak?"
"They may have no right, but what about me?"
Someone roared furiously, "My father died following the fifth head in battle! His divine character wasn't even passed down to me, but left to some so-called genius! My father died within your Great Xia Civilization Academy—who knows the real truth of what happened!"
Recognizing the voice, Liu Wenyan sighed softly. "Brother Qi, back then Uncle Qi was mortally wounded. By the time word reached you, he could no longer hold on. That was why he chose Liu Ran to inherit his character. Liu Ran has already passed away..."
From the darkness, the voice snapped, "I don't need to hear your excuses! Liu Ran is dead, and I have no interest in desecrating his grave; I will let my father's character rest underground. I only want to know whether I have the right to view the research records my father left behind! Where is the material the fifth head mentioned regarding advancing to the Invincible Realm? My father poured endless blood and sweat into researching alongside the fifth head back then. When results were achieved and my father died, are his descendants left with nothing?"
Liu Wenyan answered solemnly, "My teacher truly left no such records behind. Everyone present that day knows this. Only a handful of minor, incomplete notes remained—such as divine character fusion. That was why Hong Tan later made the fusion system public; it was developed only after Hong Tan expanded on it himself..."
Whatever materials the fifth head had left behind that yielded results had practically all been published.
Divine character fusion was considered an extremely significant breakthrough in its own right. Hong Tan had made it completely open to the public back then. It was simply shelved later because the technique was too difficult, yet many powerful figures were well aware of it.
"I don't believe that's all there was!"
The voice shouted, "Then what about Bai Feng's divine character battle technique splitting method? Why wasn't that shared before?"
Liu Wenyan frowned. "That is Bai Feng's own research result. It was not left behind by my teacher!"
Those developments were conceived entirely by Bai Feng.
Clearly, people were setting their sights on that breakthrough as well.
Everything the fifth head had left that could be given had been given, save for that single divine character.
Now, these people were even attributing Bai Feng's achievements to the fifth head, attempting to claim them without paying any price. Anger welled up in Liu Wenyan's chest; he would never agree to this!
"Bai Feng's research? What a joke! How many years has Bai Feng even been enrolled? I knew you lot weren't honest!"
With those words, mountains materialized out of thin air, bearing down upon Liu Wenyan.
While the other cultivators moved to intercept the crushing peaks, Liu Wenyan's brows twitched. He abruptly slammed a palm toward the ground!
A dark shadow was blasted out from beneath the earth!
Over on the side, Wu Yuehua took fright, her massive cauldron smashing down in an instant.
With a booming crash, the shadow shattered!
As the cauldron flew back, Wu Yuehua's momentary distraction allowed an opponent's divine character to pierce her defenses, skewering through her shoulder with a wet squelch.
***
The battle grew increasingly fierce.
Su Yu frowned, his eyes darting toward Marquis Xia. What was that man thinking?
More and more Shanhai were getting involved. If several of them died, the loss to Great Xia's strength would be considerable. Did he really not care at all?
Marquis Xia paid him no mind. At that moment, Chief Steward Hu was conferring with him in low murmurs that no one else could hear.
"Marquis, what should we do now?"
Marquis Xia remained silent. After a pause, he asked, "Where is Zhao Mingyue?"
"Not back yet, but soon..."
"Have Old Zhao tell his sister that once she returns, she is to take Liu Wenyan and withdraw from this place, straight back to Nanyuan!"
"Marquis..."
Chief Steward Hu looked at him, his gaze shifting slightly before he nodded.
Soon, General Zhao over on the perimeter received a transmission. He frowned, nodded, and vanished from the spot.
***
The clash intensified!
Just then, a figure broke through the air from the distance. Someone shouted, "Zhao Mingyue! Stop her!"
"Piss off!"
A sharp shout rang out. Before Su Yu could even glimpse her form, a towering staff descended from the sky!
With a tremendous crack, a Shanhai was sent hurtling through the air!
A moment later, a woman landed, her demeanor fierce and heroic, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. Wasting no words, she flew straight toward Liu Wenyan.
Along her path, the other Shanhai were intercepted by their allies.
"Why are you still standing there? Come with me!"
With a clear cry, Zhao Mingyue moved swiftly, grabbing Liu Wenyan and dragging him toward the edge of the battle zone.
Wu Yuehua cursed softly from afar but raised no objection.
It was indeed time to get Liu Wenyan out of there!
Staying inside the battle zone was an invitation to disaster.
Xia Yunqi and the others also shouted, "Wenyan, go first! With us here, let's see who dares desecrate Ruoling's grave!"
"Keep Liu Wenyan here!"
The others roared in fury!
Once Liu Wenyan left the battle zone, the gathering of so many experts today would all come to nothing!
It was no easy feat for the Xia family to open a battle zone within Great Xia to let them resolve their grievances; such an opportunity was exceedingly rare.
Under normal circumstances, even if they fought, everyone exercised restraint, not daring to go all out.
Sparring was fine, but if lives were lost, the Xia family would step in.
Today, within this designated battle zone, was the ultimate opportunity to capture or even kill Liu Wenyan.
Just as Zhao Mingyue pulled Liu Wenyan toward the perimeter, a soft sigh resonated. A colossal war banner swept outward, blotting out the sky!
"Liu Wenyan, you had better stay!"
Zhao Mingyue's eyebrows shot up as she barked fiercely, "Jin Yuhui, how dare you interfere!"
The head of Jiutian Academy!
"Mingyue, the rest of you may leave, but Liu Wenyan must remain—or leave the divine character behind..."
A weathered voice echoed from the void.
The head of Jiutian Academy had entered the fray!
A true peak Shanhai expert. Some even suspected he had already stepped into the Sun Moon Realm—like Wan Tiansheng, he might have broken through in secret without revealing it to the world.
In the Great Xia Prefecture, Wan Tiansheng was renowned as the strongest Civilization Master.
Second to him was the head of Jiutian Academy.
As for Director Ji and his peers, they weren't true Civilization Masters; although they knew a few Civilization Master techniques, they primarily walked the warrior path.
Pulled along by Zhao Mingyue, Liu Wenyan had seemed withdrawn, but now he suddenly erupted: "Jin Yuhui! What right do you have to butt in? Our faction owes you nothing!"
"Not only do we owe you nothing, you shameless bastard, you adopted our divine character fusion technique and had the gall to proclaim yourself one of its creators!"
"More words serve no purpose."
Jin Yuhui offered no rebuttal. The massive banner unfurled across the heavens, descending directly to engulf them.
"Break!"
Zhao Mingyue yelled, leaping into the air. Her long staff thrust skyward, crashing against the banner with a thunderous boom that shook the surroundings.
The banner rippled violently. Soon, divine characters flew forth and merged into the fabric, stabilizing the cultural weapon before it pressed down once more!
Zhao Mingyue yelled again!
Gripping her staff, she slammed it upward with another resounding crash!
Yet her opponent was simply too powerful. The banner continued its slow descent; once it fell, Liu Wenyan would be suppressed.
"Die!"
Enraged, Zhao Mingyue roared as her staff erupted in dazzling radiance!
Simultaneously, from other directions, a spear, a sword, and a cauldron all struck toward the banner!
In the distance, Hong Tan, still locked in battle with Zhou Mingren, let out a deep roar. "Jin Yuhui, you're courting death!"
Hong Tan, whose form had been obscured by the chaos, suddenly expanded drastically. In an instant, an enormous giant appeared before everyone's eyes!
A great shield was held in the giant's left hand, guarding his chest.
A longsword was gripped in his right hand as he stepped through the air, completely ignoring Zhou Mingren's assault. Radiant light flared from the shield, absorbing Zhou Mingren's attacks as Hong Tan, in giant form, strode toward the banner, unleashing a sword strike whose qi stretched for thousands of meters!
Boom!
The sword qi struck the banner with a tearing screech, ripping it apart!
"Cough, cough..."
Coughing sounded from the void as Jin Yuhui sighed. "Hong Tan, you truly were hiding your strength..."
Just then, Zhou Mingren let out a low shout. Around the giant Hong Tan, massive stone pillars shot up, instantly sealing him inside!
Exuding an imposing aura, Zhou Mingren frowned and said indifferently, "Hong Tan, our battle is not yet concluded. Do not meddle elsewhere!"
"Old mongrel, you're looking to die!"
Hong Tan was furious. Swinging the giant shield, he shattered a massive pillar with a deafening crash!
With his right hand, he swept his sword outward, snapping pillars one after another!
Zhou Mingren remained unfazed. Outside the pillars, an ocean materialized, sending towering waves crashing inward against Hong Tan!
***
Su Yu approached Zheng Ping once more and whispered, "Grandpa Zheng, with the battle so intense, aren't you going to offer some commentary?"
Zheng Ping gave him an odd look. Commentary?
Kid, you clearly can't follow what's happening and just want me to explain, don't you?
Thick-skinned, aren't you!
Having nothing better to do, Zheng Ping chuckled faintly. "The one who just struck is Jin Yuhui, head of Jiutian Academy, peak Shanhai—essentially half a step into the Sun Moon Realm! The three strongest people on the field are Hong Tan, Jin Yuhui, and Zhou Mingren. All three can be considered half-step Sun Moon!"
"Hong Tan's shield and sword are his divine character battle technique. Zhou Mingren commands eight divine characters; those pillars earlier came from his 'Stone' character, and this ocean is his 'Wave' character. But his primary character isn't any of those—it's the character 'Sun.' A blazing sun hanging overhead. Once he brings out his primary character, the battle will reach its absolute peak."
Su Yu asked hurriedly, "Why did Jin Yuhui intervene?"
"Grievances from the previous generation. Back when your fifth head was around, he suppressed Jin Yuhui so thoroughly the man couldn't lift his head. On top of that, this fellow has studied divine character fusion for years. Your faction introduced the academic framework for fusion before shelving it, and Jin Yuhui has always been fascinated by it. Add to that the possibility that the fifth head's character relates to those techniques, and his intervention isn't surprising at all."
Su Yu nodded and asked further, "Grandpa Zheng, Teacher Liu could have left earlier. Why didn't he? Would he be safe once outside the battle zone?"
"Leave?"
Zheng Ping shook his head. "He can't. The moment he left Nanyuan, he had nowhere to run! Nanyuan was essentially his cage; by coming out, he gained his freedom, but he also lost his protection. In Nanyuan, for fifty years, almost no one dared stir up trouble."
"Yet after fifty years, many people ran out of patience! Once he stepped out of Nanyuan, he either had to hand over the character or shatter their hopes. Otherwise, he can never go back!"
Su Yu frowned as he looked at Liu Wenyan trapped beneath the banner. Zhao Mingyue and the others were powerful, yet they were no match for Jin Yuhui.
"Then what about Senior Xia Yunqi and the others? What level of strength do they possess?"
"Around the seventh stage of Shanhai!"
Zheng Ping possessed a discerning eye and replied quickly, "If they unleash everything, they might approach the ninth stage. However... I sense there are still flaws in their fused divine characters. Their combat strength lacks endurance, and the fusion isn't seamless. At present, it can only be considered a tenuous success."
He sighed with genuine regret. "If it only yields Shanhai strength, it wasn't worth the cost! Had those fellows never fused characters, the weakest among them would already be at the seventh stage today, with the ninth stage well within reach. Without reaching the Sun Moon Realm, fusing those characters back then was a losing trade!"
Without reaching Sun Moon, the sacrifice was not worth it.
Fifty years was more than enough time for geniuses like them to cultivate to the Shanhai Realm on their own.
"The objective back then was to let them break through rapidly to the Sun Moon Realm, not to leave them languishing in the Yangxing Realm for fifty years. It seems that method of character inheritance still harbored severe flaws. What a pity!"
Zheng Ping sighed with lingering regret.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. Civilization Masters were like that—sometimes they poured immense effort and resources into a single line of research, only for it to fail. There was no helping it.
Clearly, the inheritance back then was not a success, which made it a profound tragedy. Many people were still waiting to see the outcome.
Zhao Mingyue and the others had returned, but they were merely at the Shanhai Realm, and their combat strength remained unstable. In that light, inheriting those divine characters had accomplished little.
Su Yu felt a pang of sorrow as well.
Failing to reach the Sun Moon Realm after fifty years... None of those former prodigies had been inferior to Hong Tan, yet now their combat strength fell short of his, all while bearing decades of infamy and humiliation. Truly, it was heartbreaking.
And so many had died!
Like Zhang Ruoling, buried right here!
Setting his emotions aside, Su Yu asked urgently, "If they capture Teacher Liu, will they actually kill him?"
"Since Liu Wenyan refuses to manifest the character, with those people, it's hard to say..."
Su Yu pressed, "And what about your side, Grandpa Zheng? Don't you feel any bitterness watching this?"
Zheng Ping said helplessly, "Let's put it this way: unless the Xia family acts, we... strictly speaking, are soldiers of the Xia family! If the Xia family doesn't give the order, we must stand down! I sympathize with you, but I cannot help you. That includes Old Zhao and Old Hu—their family members are down there. Do you think they don't care?"
Zheng Ping sighed. "Hu Ping and Zhao Mingyue are their kin; they care more than anyone. But without Marquis Xia's command, we cannot intervene."
"If they won't even protect their own family, who else can they be expected to protect? What's the point of fighting on the All-Heavens Battlefield?"
"Well..."
Zheng Ping was momentarily at a loss for words. Embarrassed, he said, "If my family were down there, I'd definitely jump in. Those two don't dare to, and there's nothing I can do about that. But my family isn't in there—risking life and limb against those people makes no sense for me, right?"
Su Yu felt a twinge of regret. Had he known, he would have dragged Zheng Yunhui along. Of course, bringing him might not have helped; a Yangxing student could easily get pulverized in the crossfire.
Nearby, neither General Zhao nor Chief Steward Hu said a word.
Both kept their eyes on Marquis Xia. Marquis Xia remained silent as well, but noticing their gazes, he smiled. "Don't rush. Jin Yuhui... let's see what happens when he pushes a bit harder. Let's see if there are still cards left to play!"
Zhao and Hu exchanged glances and had no choice but to nod.
Marquis Xia ignored them, turning his head toward the distant Great Xia Civilization Academy. What was that old fellow Wan Tiansheng doing right now?
***
The banner descended inch by inch. Zhao Mingyue could no longer hold it off; blood seeped from her lips as she was driven downward.
In the distance, Hong Tan, still in his giant form, wore a grim expression.
"Zhou Mingren, I gave you face by sparring with you. Are you sure you won't step aside?"
"Defeat me, and the path is yours!"
Zhou Mingren responded indifferently. A blazing sun illuminated the sky, casting its searing rays across Hong Tan and causing his massive shield to continuously melt!
"Aren't you all just trying to see if I have the breakthrough records my teacher left behind?"
"I'll tell you right now: I don't, and I don't need them!"
"The path of predecessors is merely a reference. Does anyone truly believe they can step into the Invincible Realm simply by tracing someone else's footsteps?"
Hong Tan barked, "Zhou Mingren, don't regret this!"
With that roar, the giant shield and the longsword began to merge, giving birth to a new, colossal blade!
"You wanted to see it?"
"Then take a look!"
"Combine!"
With a furious shout, the two weapons fused into one!
At that instant, an overwhelming surge of willpower erupted from Hong Tan!
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
Wielding the colossal sword, which shone with the brilliance of the sun and moon, he struck before the blade even landed. The blazing sun in the sky shattered with a deafening boom. Coughing blood, Zhou Mingren hurriedly recalled the shattered remnants of the sun—that was his primary divine character!
The stone pillars crumbled; the great waves collapsed!
The earth shook, and the heavens seemed to fracture!
"Jin Yuhui, you're courting death!"
Ignoring the retreating Zhou Mingren, Hong Tan pierced the void and reappeared in an instant, bringing his sword crashing down!
Boom!
A world-shaking explosion rang out. The banner vanished from the sky, reappearing in the hands of an old man in the darkness. The elder raised the banner to defend himself, but with a sharp rip, it was torn to shreds!
Spitting blood, the old man was blasted back thousands of meters!
Hong Tan, his frame towering like a small mountain, surged forward once more and swung his sword down!
Jin Yuhui's face darkened as he shouted, "Zhou Mingren, together!"
Zhou Mingren tore through the air, his palm conjuring sun and moon as he struck forward!
"Trash, get lost!"
Hong Tan swept his colossal sword across. With a dull thud, Zhou Mingren was sent flying, and Hong Tan brought his foot stomping down directly toward Jin Yuhui!
"Sun Moon!"
Many cried out in shock. Had Hong Tan entered the Sun Moon Realm?
So quickly?
"Not yet, but he's close..."
Shan Tianhao roared urgently. He hadn't reached Sun Moon yet, only grazed its threshold!
"Quick, capture Liu Wenyan!"
Shan Tianhao charged toward Liu Wenyan. Zhao Mingyue and the others were severely wounded; though they bellowed in defiance, they could hardly withstand a ninth-stage Shanhai like Shan Tianhao.
Shielded at the rear, Liu Wenyan kept his brow furrowed.
*No Sun Moon has arrived...*
Liu Wenyan pondered quietly, casting a sideways glance toward Marquis Xia in the distance. *Are you waiting for me to strike with this sword as well?*
*Have you been investigating all these years, too?*
*If I unleash this strike, will someone show themselves?*
*Which Sun Moon Realm expert will act?*
If no one showed their hand soon, he was leaving!
"Go!"
Liu Wenyan called out, "Yunqi, hold them off. I will leave first. I leave Ruoling to you. I'm heading back to Nanyuan—remember to come find me there..."
"Understood!"
Several voices roared in response. Zhao Mingyue shouted, "Wu Yuehua, what are you waiting for? Get him out of here!"
Wu Yuehua rolled her eyes at her. As if she needed telling!
With one blow from her cauldron, she blasted her opponent away, landed swiftly, grabbed Liu Wenyan, and flew outward.
Someone yelled, "Liu Wenyan, you may escape today, but you cannot escape tomorrow! If you leave today, this score will never be settled!"
Liu Wenyan said nothing.
Further off, Zhou Mingren and Jin Yuhui struggled desperately to hold off Hong Tan. Zhou Mingren shouted, "Liu Wenyan, leaving without surrendering the divine character will only invite disaster! Haven't you brought enough harm upon the Multiple Divine Characters Faction?"
Liu Wenyan remained silent. By now, he was on the verge of clearing the battle zone.
Once he stepped outside and departed, today's great clash would come to an end.
An enormous price had already been paid just to force Liu Wenyan's hand.
Just as Wu Yuehua was about to step past the boundary, a colossal hand descended from the void. Wu Yuehua shrieked in fury, slamming her cauldron upward. With a deafening crash and a sickening snap, the cauldron was knocked flying, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface!
An eighth-stage Shanhai's cultural weapon, nearly destroyed in a single blow!
"Sun Moon!"
Wu Yuehua was horrified. "Who is it?!"
No voice answered from the dark. The massive palm reached straight for Liu Wenyan.
Not far away, Marquis Xia stood up.
His expression turned grave.
A Sun Moon Realm combatant had intervened—a genuine Sun Moon, and far from a novice.
"Bastard!"
Wu Yuehua grabbed Liu Wenyan, preparing to hurl him clear of the battle zone while summoning her cauldron to fight to the death. But Liu Wenyan seized her hand, preventing her from throwing him.
"You..."
Wu Yuehua was enraged. *You idiot, why aren't you running?!*
A true Sun Moon had arrived!
In the distance, Hong Tan roared in fury, his great sword slashing down wildly and leaving both Jin and Zhou coughing blood.
"How dare you!"
"I'll butcher you!"
Hong Tan was beside himself with rage, but it was too late; the distance was too great. The colossal hand was already descending. Wu Yuehua's divine apertures erupted with light, merging as one as she gripped her cracked cauldron, preparing to charge the Sun Moon combatant!
Liu Wenyan grasped her hand again and sighed. "Don't throw your life away..."
Looking up at the giant hand, he muttered, "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
His sea of will convulsed violently!
The next instant, a giant axe materialized in his hands!
Yes, an axe.
At this moment, the axe appeared exceedingly dim. Yet the moment it emerged, the entire battlefield fell dead silent...
Looking down at the axe, Liu Wenyan felt a pang of melancholy. "It's been so long since I last fought..."
"I almost forgot that I am Liu Wenyan!"
Lifting his head to the sky, he laughed. "It's you!"
"Die!"
A roar shook heaven and earth!
Gripping the giant axe, Liu Wenyan became radiant as the sun and moon. With a single cleave, he split the giant hand in two, showering the area with blood!
Between heaven and earth, only this axe remained!
On the perimeter, Su Yu was completely awestruck!
In this singular moment, all the clashes between Shanhai cultivators faded into insignificance; the entire world seemed reduced to this one axe.
"Liu Wenyan!"
A soft sigh drifted from the void as a luminous moon manifested, descending toward the axe!
With a sharp tearing sound, the bright moon shattered instantly!
"Pfft..."
Someone coughed blood, murmuring in disbelief, "The aura of an Invincible... You... successfully fused it..."
"Cleave!"
Liu Wenyan offered no reply. With another furious roar, he charged into the darkness with the giant axe!
At this moment, Liu Wenyan was terrifyingly powerful!
A single strike had broken a Sun Moon!
Light gradually pierced the darkness, revealing a shimmering silhouette.
Marquis Xia watched with burning eyes, then shifted his gaze without intervening.
He glanced at Chief Steward Hu, whose posture had straightened completely!
Right then, a faint Invincible aura radiated from Liu Wenyan, washing across the surroundings. Su Yu was pressed flat against the ground, feeling an overwhelming pressure permeating the air that made resistance impossible.
He didn't bother trying to resist anyway. It was his own teacher; lying flat was nothing to be ashamed of.
Yet Su Yu couldn't conceal his utter shock. Teacher Liu... was this strong?
"Break!"
With a thunderous explosion, the silhouette in the void was obliterated!
Yet in the next moment, Liu Wenyan's expression changed drastically!
"A fake!"
Where the figure had been shattered, a divine character exploded!
It was a divine character avatar!
Not a real person!
Someone had used a divine character to construct a false Sun Moon!
Yet its power had rivaled a genuine Sun Moon!
At that exact instant, the space behind Liu Wenyan cracked open, and a single finger thrust forth, aiming straight for his skull!
Simultaneously!
The onlookers who had remained utterly impassive until now tore through the void and struck!
Chief Steward Hu, who had always appeared transcendent and sage-like, now looked like an ancient fiend. Blood qi erupted skyward as he smashed through the void with a thunderous roar. Entering the spatial folds, he seemed to clash with something invisible to ordinary eyes, appearing beside Liu Wenyan in the blink of an eye and snapping the lethal finger with a sharp crack!
"Not the real one!"
Chief Steward Hu barked in a low voice!
Over on the side, General Zhao, whom everyone had assumed to be merely a peak Shanhai, unleashed a shocking wave of power. The moment Hu spoke, Zhao was already gripping a long spear, thrusting it through the fabric of heaven and earth!
Space tore apart, and a figure emerged from the void.
"Were you all waiting for me?"
The figure chuckled, unperturbed. He had known someone would be waiting!
Reaching out, he caught General Zhao's spear with one hand. In the sky above, five blazing suns manifested!
Fifth-stage Sun Moon!
General Zhao, whom outsiders took for a Shanhai, was an expert of the fifth stage of Sun Moon!
His spear fused into the suns, unleashing a devastating strike!
Boom!
Space collapsed, yet the figure paid it no mind, extending his other hand toward Liu Wenyan!
Chief Steward Hu shattered the void, rushing to intercept the massive hand.
Just then, Liu Wenyan let out a low growl and swung his axe toward the sky!
Another spatial passage opened above, and a fist plummeted straight down!
"What lavish spending!"
Marquis Xia remarked with a sigh. "To kill him, you've truly spared no expense!"
The giant axe collided with the fist, bathing the area in blinding light.
Finishing the last bite of his watermelon, Marquis Xia grinned. "I've waited for you for ages. You really showed up. Damn, couldn't hold back anymore, could you?"
Even as he spoke, the afterimage left where he had been standing dissolved into air!
Before anyone could register what was happening, a stout old man appeared in the sky, seizing the descending fist and violently tearing through space, plunging deep into the void!
"Now that you're here, don't think about leaving! Old Hu, Old Zhao, hurry up! That's an Eternal divine character—don't let it shatter! Capture it; I want to find out whose avatar this really is!"
"Understood!"
The two Sun Moon combatants responded in unison!
Explosions echoed endlessly!
The two powerhouses no longer concealed their strength. Chief Steward Hu proved even stronger than General Zhao, his hand blotting out the sky as he moved to enclose the shadowy figure!
"Capture me?"
The figure laughed coldly. With a deafening boom, a divine character manifested, only to detonate instantly!
With a violent blast, Chief Steward Hu's palm was mangled, and the avatar was blown to pieces!
Frowning, Chief Steward Hu snatched the shattered fragments of the divine character into his grasp.
In that moment, the entire world seemed flooded with willpower. Boundless willpower dispersed into the air, accompanied by the lingering dao charm of divine characters drifting through the void.
An Eternal divine character had shattered!
Down below, Su Yu was dumbfounded. Without hesitation, the divine characters in his sea of will began frantically absorbing the lingering charm and willpower, opening divine apertures in rapid succession!
He had no time to process what was happening; all he knew was that a catastrophe had occurred. In mere moments, two Eternal divine characters had been shattered!
Liu Wenyan had cleaved one apart, and Chief Steward Hu's group had shattered another!
What was going on?
Who was behind this?
An Invincible Realm expert?
Meanwhile, Marquis Xia had vanished entirely. Only the continuous rumblings of the void and his raucous shouting could be heard echoing from the distance!
***
At the same time.
Inside the Xiuxin Pavilion.
Wan Tiansheng's gaze shifted as if observing something far away. After a long silence, he frowned. "Not him... A fake; he didn't come in person! That fat fool Xia... he alerted the enemy!"
He cursed under his breath!
Wan Tiansheng's face was dark with anger and discontent!
That idiot had never intended to capture the culprit; he merely wanted to flush him out and scare him off!
"Bastard. So what if he's an Invincible? An Invincible... should still be put to death!"
He understood Marquis Xia's thinking, but he was thoroughly dissatisfied!
Taking a deep breath, Wan Tiansheng sat back down. *No rush. I can still wait! Right now won't do, but there is always next time! Since you acted once, there will be a second time. I... saw a glimpse of you!*
Many faces flashed through his mind.
*It's one of them! I've found you! Don't even think of hiding!*
His eyes shifted, reflecting the sun and moon. It was as though a vast starry cosmos unfolded within his gaze, and a hazy silhouette began to take form in his mind!
However, the facial features remained indistinct.
The aura was too unstable.
Wan Tiansheng felt a surge of frustration. Not yet—that fellow was simply too cunning!
"I will wait for your next move!"
Drawing another deep breath, Wan Tiansheng closed his eyes. He had all the patience in the world!
Chapter 190