The vacant-eyed Jun Mo Li raised the sword in his hand toward his younger brother, who no longer had any strength to resist.
Cheng Xiao Sword trembled lightly in Jun Mo Li's grasp, unwilling to see that moment arrive.
But even the greatest sword in the world could not escape its master's control.
"Strike down. After this sword, there will no longer be a god named Phenex in the world."
Chi arrogantly ordered, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight arc.
Jun Bai propped up his scarred body with all four limbs, lifting his head to gaze at the brother he had lived with for ten years. Finally, he closed his eyes, awaiting his own death.
Rex Lapis, Guizhong, Ganyu, and everyone in the Guili Assembly—at least you all don't know I've already returned.
The puppet raised its arm, about to use the sword in its hand to offer a crown of blood and flesh to its lord.
Within the mountain.
The youth teetering on the brink of death trembled his lips, as if by telepathy whispering softly: "Stop... that's... third brother... our... brother... we have to... protect..."
The voice was very faint—so faint that Jun Bai didn't hear it, so faint that Chi didn't hear it. The only one who could hear caught only the last two words.
"Brother."
A single spark of light returned to the vacant eyes. Jun Mo Li watched Jun Bai—eyes closed before him—and swung the blade.
The sword edge traced a perfectly arced line through the air—the fast sword Jun Mo Li was most skilled at.
Sharp, swift—only streaks of sword shadows could be seen.
So when the blade struck Chi, no one had time to react.
A wound stretched from shoulder to waist, forcing Chi to stagger back three steps.
Waterfall Sever.
Jun Mo Li took a step forward. Cheng Xiao Sword descended toward Chi's body.
The blade fell heavily, as if carrying ten thousand jin—the heavy sword technique Jun Mo Li had painstakingly mastered over long practice.
Explosive force erupted, knocking Chi back five steps. His footing wavered, his stance unsteady—he was clearly heavily wounded.
Mountain Severer.
Jun Mo Li held the sword horizontally across his chest, rose onto his tiptoes, and dashed forward in a burst.
What greeted him was a barrier finally summoned by the reacting Chi—a barrier constructed from god's power.
But even so, the swordmaster showed no fear.
Before the barrier, Jun Mo Li swung Cheng Xiao Sword in a horizontal slash. This strike was plain and ordinary—not fast, not slow, not light, not heavy—just like a beginner's basic horizontal cut.
Yet behind the barrier, Chi sensed a lethal threat in this one strike.
The blade touched the barrier. The barrier shattered like a mirror, inch by inch, revealing Chi's incredulous expression.
This strike finally landed on Chi's body.
Utterly unremarkable, almost mediocre—yet it sealed off all of Chi's escape routes.
Chi flew backward, his body piercing through the cliff wall and embedding deep into the mountain.
This strike—God Severer.
Waterfall Sever used sharp fast sword to break the enemy's defense. Mountain Severer used powerful heavy sword to shatter the enemy's spirit.
The final God Severer would sever the enemy's essence, spirit, and life.
Embedded in the mountain, Li Tonghui revealed a satisfied smile before his breath finally ceased.
"Stand up, third brother."
Jun Mo Li stood with his back to Jun Bai, gripping Cheng Xiao Sword tightly: "We have to avenge eldest brother!"
"Second brother..." Jun Bai opened his eyes, gazing at Jun Mo Li's back. In this moment, his brother's silhouette loomed taller and more majestic than Rex Lapis himself.
"Impossible—you couldn't have broken free from dream control!" Chi emerged from the mountain, his face still filled with disbelief.
"Because you ordered me to strike my own little brother." Jun Mo Li breathed heavily. "No older brother would ever bear to harm his younger brother."
"Next, we brothers will settle the score for the sin of hurting our eldest brother!"
Jun Bai propped himself up on Crimson Shadow, his body covered in wounds, yet his eyes shone with unprecedented brightness.
He began channeling the last of his inner power, preparing to join Jun Mo Li in one final stand—to avenge eldest brother.
At that moment, a tiger roar echoed. Little Flame stood up. At Jun Bai's call, crimson flames ignited across her body.
"That's..." Jun Bai froze.
This was the first time he had seen Little Flame use fire elemental power since recovering his memories. Looking now, the flames on Little Flame carried a strangely familiar power.
"So when I was in dire straits and fell to Qingce Village back then, a wisp of my power scattered—and it ended up on Little Flame? Fate really is strange."
Jun Bai beckoned to Little Flame. A cluster of flame emerged from her body and landed in Jun Bai's palm.
"The time to end you has come, Chi!"
Jun Bai clenched his palm. The scattered power returned to his body, merging with his origin. Then he released it all in one breath.
Explosive fire elemental power surged upward. Flame wings spread behind him. Divine armor and battle garb coalesced across his body.
Fully Armed—making its historical first appearance.
As Jun Bai revealed this new form, specks of starfire scattered outward from him in all directions.
Wherever the starfire passed, all things revived.
New sprouts emerged. Dead wood bloomed anew. Vitality burst forth. Every living being was reborn through the starfire in that moment.
Naturally, this included the one embedded in the mountain.
Naturally, it did not include the one about to meet his end.
Jun Bai and Jun Mo Li fought side by side. The two simultaneously charged toward Chi.
Crimson Shadow and Cheng Xiao—both famous swords forged by the Jun family—one stained with a god's blood, the other bearing a god's power—were about to add a new feat to the Jun family legacy.
"Even in death, you will accompany me to the grave!"
Chi roared, unleashing his divine power in a counterattack against the Jun brothers.
The first to bear the brunt was Jun Mo Li.
Compared to the god Phenex he had trampled underfoot, this mortal who had slashed him three times and wounded him gravely filled Chi with greater hatred.
Ignoring Jun Bai's attacks, ignoring the blade striking his own body, Chi launched a counterattack at Jun Mo Li.
The battle between two gods and one mortal could be felt even outside Qingce Village, continuing until sunset.
Jun Bai held Crimson Shadow and once again met Chi head-on.
The wounds temporarily healed by Fully Armed burst open again. In this round of combat, Jun Bai was once more repelled by Chi.
At this moment, Chi finally saw his chance.
He gathered his origin power and unleashed a wide-area attack at Jun Mo Li.
No matter how superb Jun Mo Li's swordsmanship, he was ultimately only a mortal.
Under such an attack, he could not evade.
In the end, beside the wound Chi had already opened, a bloody piercing wound appeared.
Jun Mo Li staggered and fell. In the moment before collapsing, he hurled Cheng Xiao Sword toward Chi.
But what power could a dying man's throw have?
Chi casually waved it aside, sending Cheng Xiao flying to the side.
At that moment, a whoosh of air.
Flame wings flapped. Jun Bai caught Cheng Xiao in midair, dual-wielding Crimson Shadow and Cheng Xiao, launching his final assault at Chi.
Chi understood—Jun Bai was at his limit too. If he could withstand this strike, he still had a chance.
So Chi used his last remaining power to summon layer after layer of barriers.
Crimson Shadow and Cheng Xiao broke through barrier after barrier, finally clashing against Chi's final barrier in a deadlock.
Chi revealed a smile: "It's me..."
Before the words finished, Chi's eyes filled with disbelief.
A wooden sword pierced through his body from behind.
"Third brother—now!" Jun Mo Li roared.