After sending Zi Yan to Zhu Li and Hei Qing, a sharp and chilling murderous intent erupted from Xiao Hua and the others. The fury in their hearts was unmistakable—Ninth Tianzun's attempt to capture Zi Yan had ignited their wrath.
Boom!
"Ahhh!!!"
A thunderous explosion shook the battlefield, followed by a wretched, regret-filled scream that echoed through the void. As countless eyes turned toward the source of the commotion, they saw it—
An enormous white spear, formed entirely of radiant lightning, was lodged deep in the earth, shattering the ground beneath it. Cracks spiderwebbed in every direction, glowing faintly with residual lightning energy.
Ninth Tianzun's aura had vanished completely.
There was no doubt—he had been slain.
Everyone instantly understood who was responsible. Only one person wielded the spear and commanded the terrifying power of Emperor Thunder.
All eyes turned toward Ming Cheng.
He stood there with a calm, icy expression, as if he had merely swatted aside a fly rather than ended the life of one of the Hall of Souls' powerful Tianzuns. Yet behind that chilling indifference, a storm of barely contained fury could be seen blazing within his eyes.
"Sorry for taking my eyes off," Ming Cheng said flatly, his voice directed to Xiao Hua and the others as his spear slowly spun in his grip.
The weapon then snapped toward Eighth and Fourth Tianzun with lethal intent. His gaze locked onto them like a predator eyeing prey.
"You tried to delay me, didn't you?" he said coldly. "Then stay here… forever."
Xiao Hua and the others remained silent. They understood that Ming Cheng harbored regret for failing to anticipate Ninth Tianzun's sudden move. There was no need to speak—any words now would only deepen his self-blame.
"Brat! Don't think you can spout nonsense just because you managed to kill that useless Ninth Tianzun!" Fourth Tianzun roared furiously at Ming Cheng.
Yet, despite his bluster, fear flickered in his eyes. Ming Cheng's strength and thunderous technique had left a lasting impression. Now that Ming Cheng was truly enraged, he wasn't sure he could survive the coming battle.
Ming Cheng ignored him. Instead, he stomped his foot with force, causing the space beneath him to shatter as he launched forward with terrifying momentum. His spear trembled with fury.
He was determined—Eighth and Fourth Tianzun would never leave this ruined mountain range alive.
As Ming Cheng stormed toward them like a thunderous storm, the two Tianzuns responded without hesitation.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Fourth Tianzun summoned a fierce gust of wind. A massive, thousand-foot-long blood-red glow erupted in the sky and quickly took form—a savage blood dragon, roaring as it hurtled toward Ming Cheng with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Eighth Tianzun formed a swift hand seal. Instantly, the temperature around them plummeted. Ice and snow gathered in an instant, forming a colossal frost hawk that let out a piercing cry as it shot forward with chilling killing intent, aimed directly at Ming Cheng's heart.
"Scram!"
Ming Cheng roared as his spear danced in his hands. Emperor Thunder surged forth, forming two dense and ferocious lightning dragons that coiled around the weapon. With a sweeping motion, he brought the spear down, and the dragons shot out with thunderous roars and overwhelming momentum.
Bang!
The blood dragon and frost hawk collided violently with the lightning dragons mid-air. In an instant, a massive shockwave erupted—blood-colored light, bone-chilling wind, and arcs of divine lightning exploded across the sky in a blinding display.
The clash lasted only a heartbeat.
Then—
Kacha!
Both the blood dragon and frost hawk let out distorted cries before shattering into countless fragments.
From the storm of destruction, a streak of lightning burst forth like a bolt of divine wrath, piercing through the swirling energy. Within that lightning—
Ming Cheng.
His figure shot forward like a divine spear, fury blazing in his eyes. Lightning whirled madly around him, forming a spiraling vortex at the tip of his weapon. His killing intent surged wildly, and with unstoppable momentum, he aimed to drive his spear straight through the hearts of Eighth and Fourth Tianzun.
Sensing the unmistakable aura of death from Ming Cheng's incoming strike—and realizing he could offer no resistance—Fourth Tianzun made a split-second decision.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Eighth Tianzun and forcefully shoved him forward, using the momentum of the push to launch himself backward. As his body retreated, he surged his Dou Qi in full and vanished in a flash of speed, fleeing over a couple of thousand feet in the blink of an eye.
"Fourth Tianzun…! You—!" Eighth Tianzun shouted in disbelief, but his voice was cut short.
Bang!
Ming Cheng's spear pierced cleanly through him, embedding deep into his chest. In that instant, arcs of lightning exploded across his body, crackling violently as Emperor Thunder rampaged within him.
The Eighth Tianzun let out a wild, agonized roar—but before the sound could fully escape his throat, lightning burst from every pore of his body. His form convulsed, overwhelmed by the sheer destructive force.
A moment later, his body disintegrated into ashes—scattered silently into the winds, as though he had never existed.
Fourth Tianzun felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet all the way to his scalp as he witnessed the terrifying might of Ming Cheng's spear strike. In that moment, Ming Cheng's calm and indifferent expression seemed even more horrifying than Gu You's fury.
Without hesitation, Fourth Tianzun's hands blurred into motion, forming a series of complex hand seals in rapid succession. As the final seal was completed, he let out a sharp roar:
"Blood Transforming Grand Skill!"
Immediately, a rich and sinister blood aura erupted from his body. The very air seemed to boil as the aura surged outward, gathering the blood essence in the vicinity. A massive, viscous sea of dark scarlet blood began to congeal around him, exuding a nauseating metallic stench that spread across the battlefield like a suffocating fog.
The blood sea rose into the air, expanding rapidly until it formed a dense, pulsating sphere over a hundred meters wide. If there had been more blood available, it could have grown to over a thousand feet with ease.
Soaked in this sinister sea, Fourth Tianzun slowly lifted his head. An ugly, twisted smile crept across his face. He raised one hand—and clenched it tightly in Ming Cheng's direction.
In that instant, the space in front of him twisted and warped violently as if reality itself had been gripped in his palm.
A flicker of thought passed through Ming Cheng's heart as his eyes locked onto Fourth Tianzun, a faint frown forming between his brows. In the next moment, majestic Dou Qi burst forth from his body, transforming into a torrent of ferocious lightning that coiled around him like a living armor of thunder.
Seeing this, Fourth Tianzun let out a hoarse, mocking laugh.
"Ordinary Dou Qi won't stop my Blood Transforming Grand Skill…" he sneered, eyes gleaming with madness.
Just as his words faded, Ming Cheng suddenly sensed a strange unrest stirring within his body. His blood, usually calm and unobstructed, began to churn violently. A faint, unnatural pressure spread through his veins—he could feel his blood threatening to rupture from within.
His expression shifted slightly. At last, he understood.
This so-called 'Blood Transforming Grand Skill' could manipulate the blood inside another's body…!
That realization came as a surprise. Ming Cheng had encountered blood-affinity experts multiple times before, some even capable of influencing another's body to a certain degree—but none had come close to the level of threat posed by Fourth Tianzun in this moment.
'This fellow's Blood Transforming Grand Skill is truly… strange and unique,' Ming Cheng muttered inwardly.
Yet despite the sensation of his blood roiling like lava, there was no trace of panic in his eyes. His gaze remained calm—cold even.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Emperor Thunder within Ming Cheng's body suddenly surged forth. In the next instant, the lightning flowed through his meridians and into his blood vessels. The violent churning within his blood vanished almost instantly the moment the lightning made contact.
The moment the lightning touched his blood, the boiling sensation vanished—dissipating completely as if it had never existed.
"This is... what's going on?"
Fourth Tianzun's expression changed drastically. He stared at Ming Cheng in disbelief, confusion clouding his face.
He frowned deeply. His Blood Transforming Grand Skill was a Tian-Class Dou Technique, one powerful enough to affect even elite Ban Shengs. At the very least, it should have forced Ming Cheng to split his focus to suppress the internal disruption.
Yet this technique, in all its dreadful potency, had done absolutely nothing to Ming Cheng.
"Why... isn't it working on him?" he muttered under his breath.
Ming Cheng raised his head slowly, a faint, mocking smile appearing at the corners of his lips. The last remnants of unrest in his blood faded as the Emperor Thunder calmed everything within him.
"Didn't you learn anything after all this time?" he said coldly, his eyes sharp like blades. "My Emperor Thunder is anything but ordinary."
"So it's that damned lightning's fault…!"
Fourth Tianzun gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't believe that his prized technique had been neutralized—completely blocked by lightning! He had never heard of any thunder or lightning on the continent that neutralized his technique. Just what kind of lightning was that?!
But Ming Cheng had no interest in answering such a question.
His foot stepped forward—and the moment it landed, his figure vanished like a flash of divine light.
"Hmph. So what if my Blood Transforming Grand Skill can't affect you?" Fourth Tianzun sneered coldly. "I can still sense the flow of blood within your body. Your speed is meaningless against me!"
His words had barely finished when he suddenly took three steps back. At the same time, waves of blood-red Dou Qi surged from his body and condensed rapidly onto his palm, forming a thick crimson cuticle pulsing with power.
"Come out!"
With a fierce shout, he ruthlessly slammed his palm toward a spot of seemingly empty space to his right—where he believed Ming Cheng was hiding.
A foul wind accompanied the strike as Fourth Tianzun's palm descended, distorting the surrounding space. His blow smashed down directly onto the spearpoint before him.
Pang!
To his surprise, there was no resistance at all.
His expression shifted in confusion—the spear flew away effortlessly, as if it carried no force behind it. But then, his pupils contracted sharply.
In the distance, Ming Cheng stood—his figure cloaked in violent lightning, entirely unharmed.
A cold voice echoed through the storm.
"Divine Beast: Storms of Qilin."
As those words left his lips, the heaven and earth underwent a drastic transformation.
Thunder roared, and violent winds howled as the sky darkened. Destructive energy surged and spiraled around Ming Cheng, forming a fearsome vortex. From within it, a divine beast began to emerge—massive, majestic, and overwhelming.
The energy condensed, and an enormous Qilin took shape, its body cloaked in divine lightning and howling storms. The space surrounding it rippled violently, distorted by the beast's terrifying presence. Muffled thunder rolled like the beat of war drums, while tempests raged around the Qilin's form, shaking the heavens.
"Go,"
Ming Cheng raised his hand and pointed toward Seventh Tianzun. His voice was soft, yet it reverberated across the battlefield like rolling thunder—calm, but irresistible.
The Qilin took a single step forward.
With that step, the space beneath its hoof collapsed inward, unable to bear the pressure. In the blink of an eye, the divine beast vanished from sight—only to reappear an instant later, directly above Seventh Tianzun.
Honglong!
With a thunderous rumble, the Qilin raised its massive hoof and brought it down with indifference, as though crushing an insect beneath its feet. As it descended, the surrounding space trembled violently. Shockwaves burst outward in rings, shattering the sky and distorting the heavens.
Upon witnessing the thunder Qilin's descending might, Fourth Tianzun's face contorted into a savage snarl. His expression twisted with madness, desperation rising in his heart like a tide.
"Blood Demon Robe!"
A flicker of fear surged within him as he faced Ming Cheng's despair-inducing divine strike. But as a seasoned Tianzun, he wasn't without means.
In the next instant, blood surged from every pore of his body, rapidly congealing into a thick, protective cuticle that wrapped tightly around him like crimson armor—the Blood Demon Robe. Though it couldn't stop the Qilin entirely, it was enough to dull the incoming blow and buy him a sliver of time.
The moment the robe solidified, he activated another technique in a desperate attempt to weaken the Qilin's divine strike.
"Bloody Evil Sky Demon Palm!"
Fourth Tianzun opened his mouth wide, and a thick pillar of blood shot out, merging directly with the blood sphere that surrounded him. The sphere's crimson hue darkened immediately, its energy roiling and churning.
Boom!
The blood sphere suddenly collapsed, bursting apart with a violent roar. From its shattered remnants, a colossal ten-thousand-foot blood palm surged upward—formed entirely from condensed blood essence and malice. Its fingers curled with demonic intent as it shot toward the descending Thunder Qilin, aiming to meet its crushing hoof head-on.
Bang!
The might of the Bloody Evil Sky Demon Palm was nothing short of terrifying. Even some of the elite experts watching the battle couldn't help but furrow their brows tightly. Instinctively, they began to sift through their own trump cards, wondering how they might defend themselves if they were on the receiving end of such an attack.
Yet when it came to Ming Cheng's divine technique, not a single one of them entertained the thought of withstanding it.
They knew.
Even if they exhausted every hidden card in their arsenal… even if they sacrificed everything to survive the blow—
The battle would still end right there.
To face it meant to fall.
There was only silence, followed by sighs of awe and bitter envy.
"That technique… it's at the level of a Tian-Class Dou Technique. No—more accurately, a Quasi-Tian Technique, right on the edge of ascending to Tian-Class."
"The Moonlit Chaos Mansion... truly terrifying. They possess such unfathomable wealth and such powerful techniques…"
"It's hard not to be envious. Most of their techniques are at Di-Class or higher. I've yet to see even a single Xuan-Class art among them…"
"Monsters, the lot of them… What an enviable faction..."
The crowd could only shake their heads. From start to finish, the techniques displayed by Ming Cheng and his allies had never dropped below Di Class. Not a single Xuan or lower class technique had been used. Each move was decisive, refined, and devastating—showcasing a level of strength that could only be born from monstrous talent and overwhelming resources.
"Old bastard, today is the day you meet your maker!"
Ming Cheng lowered his hand, and in response, a devastating force erupted from the Qilin. Its massive hoof descended with terrifying might, pressing down relentlessly. The colossal blood palm shattered instantly under the weight—reduced to nothing but fragments of blood-red energy that scattered across the sky like shattered glass.
Pu!
Fourth Tianzun coughed out a mouthful of blood as the violent backlash of his shattered technique struck him like a hammer to the chest. His body trembled, yet the divine beast showed no mercy. The Qilin's hoof continued its descent—relentless and indifferent to his condition.
"Ahhhh!"
A blood-curdling scream rang out. Fourth Tianzun could no longer muster even the slightest resistance. The Blood Demon Robe that wrapped his body was torn apart like fragile paper, offering not even a moment of protection.
Puchi!
With a sickening sound, Fourth Tianzun was crushed beneath the Qilin's hoof. His body was pulverized instantly—blood burst out in torrents, painting the air red and falling like rain across the shattered battlefield.
Just like that… Fourth Tianzun perished.
An elite of the Hall of Souls, one of the top four beneath the Deputy Chief and the Chief himself—
—reduced to nothing but blood and dust, trampled like a worthless insect.
A pitiful, yet inevitable end.
All the experts watching from afar could only shake their heads at the pitiful and brutal death of a powerful figure.
Some even felt a chill crawl down their spines as they witnessed the gruesome rain of blood that followed Fourth Tianzun's violent demise. In that moment, they understood clearly—
Ming Cheng's wrath is merciless.
"Xue He!"
Gu You cried out as he saw Fourth Tianzun's fall. But there was no sorrow or brotherly concern in his voice—only panic.
It wasn't Xue He's death that shook him, but the consequences of it.
With that man defeated, Ming Cheng was now free—free to go anywhere on the battlefield, unrestrained.
Boom! Boom! Bang!
But Gu You barely had time to react—
A series of thunderous explosions erupted across the battlefield just moments later.
His expression darkened as he swept his gaze over the chaos.
The Black-White Tianzuns had been pierced by countless threads of sword energy, their bodies riddled and on the verge of collapse. The Third Tianzun had been incinerated, his body reduced to ash and scattered to the winds. Zhai Xing Tianzun lay in a miserable state, his left arm disintegrated by a terrifying poison flame, his aura flickering and unstable.
The situation had gone from desperate to catastrophic.
Before Gu You could even catch his breath, four figures suddenly flashed before him like phantoms descending from the heavens.
Without giving him a moment to breathe, four figures shot forward and appeared before Gu You.
His pupils constricted, reflecting the incoming figures—Xiao Hua with a vicious glint in his eyes, Ming Cheng radiating dense killing intent, Li Mei exuding a rich murderous aura, and Saint Tian Huo with unwavering determination etched across his face.
"Ten Thousand Soul Glazed Shield!"
A hoarse voice escaped Gu Yao's lips as he shouted in haste.
Suddenly, wave after wave of thick black fog erupted from his body, spreading in all directions. Miserable wails and piercing screeches echoed through the sky—the cries of countless spirits writhing within the fog. These weren't mere illusions. The black mist was formed entirely of spiritual bodies, screaming and distorted.
In an instant, the black fog condensed into a ten-meter-wide, mirror-like shield—grotesque and unnatural. Ferocious, tormented faces twisted across its surface, their expressions locked in eternal agony. When viewed from afar, they merged into a monstrous hundred-foot-wide visage of suffering—so horrifying that even hardened experts felt their scalps go numb.
"Heh."
A cold snort echoed from the four attackers. Not a single one paused. Each unleashed a fearsome strike, their combined force fiercely slamming into the shield.
BOOM!
The shield trembled violently, struggling to withstand the combined might of the four terrifying figures.
Kacha!
A sharp cracking sound rang out the moment their attacks landed. Countless fractures webbed across the surface of the shield before it finally shattered into fragments, scattering into the air like broken glass.
Pu!
As the sinister shield shattered, Gu You coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood. His body was flung backward, skidding through the air for several hundred meters before he finally managed to stabilize himself.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his lips, he lifted his gaze toward the four approaching figures. Though the cost was steep, he had succeeded in creating some distance between them—a temporary reprieve that might just be enough.
But the four gave him no time to catch his breath. Without hesitation, each charged forward once more, intent on delivering a decisive blow.
However, just as they were about to reach him, Gu You swiftly retrieved a pitch-black token from his storage ring—and crushed it without a second thought.
Bang!
The moment the token shattered, an invisible force burst forth, violently repelling Xiao Hua and the other three a hundred meters away. At the same time, the surrounding space trembled, and the air distorted unnaturally.
In the next breath, the space beside Gu You twisted violently, as though preparing to tear open a path.
"Damn it… he's called for reinforcements." After steadying himself, Ming Cheng raised his head and cursed under his breath, his gaze sharp as a blade locked onto Gu You.
"He's a Second Tianzun with advanced-level Ban Sheng strength… Could it be the First Tianzun who's coming?" Li Mei narrowed her eyes, her expression darkening as she voiced the growing suspicion.
"If that's true, then the First Tianzun may very well be a true Dou Sheng… This battle is about to become far more dangerous," Saint Tian Huo muttered, his tone solemn. Even so, his expression didn't fall into despair—for he knew that Xiao Hua held many trump cards. Even in the worst-case scenario, they still had ways to escape.
"Regardless, use this time to recover your strength," Xiao Hua said calmly, producing over a dozen jade bottles filled with medicinal pills to restore energy and heal injuries.
Without hesitation, Ming Cheng, Li Mei, and Saint Tian Huo each took several bottles and swallowed the pills within. While Saint Tian Huo closed his eyes to focus on refining the medicinal essence, the other three stood guard in silence, their gazes fixed coldly in Gu You's direction.
Though none of them wished for the First Tianzun to arrive, there was little they could do to interrupt the formation of the spatial rift. Even Xiao Hua, with his formidable strength, would find it taxing to halt its emergence. At most, he could delay it briefly—yet even that would not stop a Dou Sheng from forcefully tearing it open.
Thus, they could only stand in silence, bodies quietly refining the medicinal strength, as the spatial crack twisted and deepened before their eyes.
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