Buzz!
Almost at the same time—
Yang Cheng's eyes shot out two beams of light, colliding with the breath that Su Lingchen had released.
The violent clash created ripples that reduced the surrounding rocks into dust.
"As expected, you've got some skill."
Su Lingchen stepped forward. With movement like teleportation, he appeared right in front of Yang Cheng.
The entire mountaintop trembled even more violently with his motion.
At the same time, thunder and lightning grew dense in the clouds surrounding the peak.
When Su Lingchen reached Yang Cheng, the lightning gathered in front of him into a thunder seal that blasted straight at Yang Cheng.
"Northern Sea Sword Codex, Migrate to the Southern Sea."
Yang Cheng drew his sword.
And his very first move was a killing strike.
Against a peak Martial Sovereign, he didn't dare be careless.
Vast sword qi transformed into a terrifying roc that collided head-on with Su Lingchen's thunder seal.
In an instant, the mountaintop was shattered.
Huge chunks of rock crashed downward.
At the foot of the mountain, martial artists scrambled to dodge.
But Su Lingchen's assault was lightning fast.
In the blink of an eye, he attacked again.
He threw a punch at Yang Cheng, endless lightning surging into the shape of a fist seal.
Yang Cheng stayed calm, responding with a sword strike.
His power now was undeniably terrifying.
Yet when sword qi met the thunder fist, the two forces held in stalemate for several breaths before finally exploding apart.
This alone showed the terrifying strength of Su Lingchen.
"Never thought your true qi would be this vast."
Yang Cheng's face grew a little more serious.
A peak Martial Sovereign was indeed extraordinary.
"This is nothing," Su Lingchen said coolly. "Once you reach my level, you'll understand. The amount of qi no longer matters. What's important is comprehending the true meaning of martial dao."
"Only by grasping true meaning and condensing a Dao Domain can one hope to step into the realm of gods."
"So, you haven't condensed a Dao Domain yet."
Yang Cheng smiled, confidence rising in his heart.
He struck again.
"Northern Sea Sword Codex, Eighth Form—Splashes Through Three Thousand."
Unimaginable sword qi erupted, like a Kunpeng churning up three thousand surging waves, vast and unstoppable.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Su Lingchen wielded thunder as a sword, shattering the waves of sword qi rushing toward him.
But though he managed to break Yang Cheng's strike, his sleeve was sliced open.
"Such a powerful sword technique. I've never even heard of it before."
Su Lingchen's tone turned grave.
"This is the Northern Sea Sword Codex, a sword art I created myself," Yang Cheng said. "Unfortunately, I've only cultivated up to the eighth form. I can't yet use the ninth. Otherwise, I'd let you experience an even stronger strike."
"You actually created such a sword art yourself? If there really were a ninth form, perhaps even I would be injured by you."
Su Lingchen regarded Yang Cheng with even greater seriousness. "Yang Cheng, how do you have such strength at your age? Even calling you the child of destiny of the Wasteland Realm doesn't explain it."
To others, labeling Yang Cheng as the child of destiny would have been enough to account for everything.
But Su Lingchen had seen far too much.
He knew well that even the child of destiny couldn't possibly wield this much power at such a young age.
"A dead man doesn't need to know the reason."
Yang Cheng said coldly.
"Arrogant!"
Su Lingchen snorted. "With your strength, you might indeed escape me. But coming to Old Yin Mountain to challenge me— that was your biggest mistake."
"Is that so?"
Yang Cheng's tone was calm.
"Old Yin Mountain is shrouded in clouds year-round, the best place to accumulate thunder."
Su Lingchen's voice rumbled. "I cultivate the Dao of Thunder. I trained for years within Thunder Abyss. On this Old Yin Mountain, I hold the home advantage."
As he spoke, more and more bolts of lightning began gathering within the sky above.
In the blink of an eye, countless bolts of lightning twisted like thunder serpents, slithering around Su Lingchen's body.
Buzz!
Moments later, those densely packed thunder serpents surged forward together like an army, rushing straight at Yang Cheng.
The sight made many martial artists at the foot of the mountain shiver in horror. They felt that if it were anyone else, even a Martial Sovereign, they would be instantly killed.
"Now it's finally getting interesting."
Yang Cheng showed no fear. Instead, his battle spirit surged.
Golden Crow Wings!
This time, he didn't use his sword.
Behind him, a pair of massive flaming wings suddenly spread open.
A terrifying wave of heat rolled out.
Then Yang Cheng dove into the sea of lightning, clashing head-on with it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The scene was incomparably spectacular.
Yang Cheng seemed to have become a Golden Crow, waging war against the endless thunder sea.
Flames and lightning intertwined, filling the heavens and earth with destructive power.
And Yang Cheng's strength was utterly ferocious. He carved his way through the raging sea of lightning, forcing his way right to Su Lingchen.
"Yang Cheng, you're still too green. This is exactly what I was waiting for."
Instead of fear, Su Lingchen's face carried a look of cold confidence.
The mountain beneath his feet suddenly cracked open.
From the fissures, terrifying lightning burst out.
"You thought I just sat here on Old Yin Mountain for eighty days?"
Su Lingchen said, "I've been accumulating thunder within this mountain the whole time. At first, it was meant to deal with Marquis Champion. But now that you're here, it'll do just as well."
The eruption of lightning was so terrifying that people faintly sensed divine might within it.
"Black and White True Fire."
Yang Cheng dared not slack. He spat out a mouthful of flame.
In an instant, that fire turned into the terrifying Black and White True Fire.
What shocked everyone was that this peerless thunderstorm was actually blocked by his flames.
"Yang Cheng still had such a trump card?"
"That's a Strange Flame… and one of the most terrifying kinds!"
Many felt their scalps go numb.
Yang Cheng's expression stayed calm. "Su Lingchen, your methods are decent, but they're still not enough to kill me. Bring out your true killing move, or I'll really be disappointed."
As he spoke, the Black and White True Fire swept forward toward Su Lingchen.
Su Lingchen's eyes turned icy cold.
That alone showed he was now taking Yang Cheng seriously.
Today, Yang Cheng's strength had far surpassed his expectations.
At this moment, Su Lingchen could feel danger from the Black and White True Fire.
Without a doubt, Yang Cheng already had the qualifications to be his true rival.
"Kill."
"Kill him!"
"It's been so long since I've felt such pressure."
"But maybe only like this can I bring out my full potential."
"If I can kill him today, perhaps I'll step onto the threshold of the god realm."
Su Lingchen's eyes went wild.
Without madness, there is no survival.
At his cultivation level, very few remained entirely sane.
It could be said that no one without a streak of madness could ever reach the peak of the Martial Sovereign realm.
And to become a god, one had to be even more mad.
"Hahahaha!"
Su Lingchen laughed wildly. "Come, Yang Cheng! Today I'll show you my true killing move."
Buzz!
The center of his brow suddenly split open.
From within, a black thunder serpent slithered out.
The moment it appeared, it radiated a destructive power no weaker than the Black and White True Fire.
Yang Cheng's eyes widened in surprise.
This black thunder serpent's quality might not match the Black and White True Fire, but the destructive force it released was not inferior at all.
The truth was, Yang Cheng had only just begun to condense and wield the Black and White True Fire.
But this black thunder serpent— no one knew how many times Su Lingchen had tempered and strengthened it.