As the Space Blade shattered, various fragments exploded from his hand. Even though the leader of the Celestial Order had already retreated upon seeing this, he still witnessed the sharp pieces scattering.
His incredibly durable armor, capable of withstanding the collapse of planets, shattered at this moment. The leader faced Wang Yang and could sense the terrifying power emanating from him—a mental pressure almost tangible.
The leader, an absolute powerhouse, felt a rare sense of suffocation. His armor, once restored, was now in tatters, making him look highly messy. One fragment had even shot towards his neck. If not for his quick reflexes, he might not have survived unscathed.
Within him, powerful divine energy twisted and writhed, attempting to heal his body. Despite his extensive battle experience, he found himself breathing heavily.
This battle reminded him of his early days. He once was a flesh-and-blood creature, evading predators and suffering injuries. Now, Wang Yang before him seemed just as formidable.
But now, he was no longer the being he once was. His injuries began to heal quickly.
Wang Yang looked at this formidable opponent with a strange expression. "As expected of the strongest of the Celestial Order, your strength is indeed remarkable."
The leader of the Celestial Order chuckled, "Though the future may belong to the young, this old body of mine still has some strength left. You won't find it easy to defeat me!"
"But, human mage, will you really not accept my proposal?" he asked again.
Wang Yang stared at the leader, who was playing the senior card. Despite being the one who wanted to destroy Earth, he was now acting as if Wang Yang was being unreasonable. Had Wang Yang not defended against their attack, Earth's civilization might already be history. Yet now, they acted like the victims.
However, Wang Yang had already figured out how to deal with them. The leader seemed vulnerable to spatial power, and he could exploit that weakness.
Wang Yang clapped his hands and pulled them apart, conjuring a transparent blade. It was the fusion of the Veil of Vishanti and the Space Blade. With a wave, the thin, translucent sword seemed capable of slicing through the fabric of the universe.
Seeing this, the leader of the Celestial Order was visibly alarmed. While he could easily handle most attacks, this sword's power filled him with a sense of crisis.
Wang Yang vanished and reappeared behind the leader, swinging his sharp blade. The leader's heart pounded, and he quickly conjured numerous golden shields around him.
Slash! The golden shields and immense power were torn apart, and the sharp sword slashed at the leader.
"Human mage, you cannot break through my armor!" the leader declared confidently. Though his armor had shattered twice before, it hadn't been destroyed. His armor was his pride and the cornerstone of his power.
Just as he thought his armor would hold, it was again torn apart. The sharp sword sliced through both his armor and body.
The leader's armor was split open, and it looked like he had been cleaved in two. Wang Yang stepped back, observing without any sense of victory but instead with a frown.
Despite the apparent damage, he didn't sense the leader's collapse or dispersal. The leader's unique characteristics as the most vital member of the Celestial Order were showing.
The other members of the Celestial Order watched without surprise as if expecting something. Sure enough, a figure emerged from the leader's split body. This figure looked exactly like the leader but was nearly transparent.
"You are the first to completely break my armor in so many years! But you don't understand that my armor is both my defense and my shackle. Without it, I become even stronger," the leader explained.
The leader floated in the cosmic void, his body entirely transparent. Wang Yang, recalling records of such beings, knew they were either extremely powerful or fragile and exceedingly rare.
Despite this transformation, Wang Yang remained calm. He summoned the Veil of Vishanti and hurled it at the leader. The blade passed through the leader without harm.
"Your attacks are physical; they can't harm my form," the leader said, shaking his head. He conjured countless transparent spikes that hovered between physical and ethereal states, aiming them at Wang Yang.
These spikes, though seemingly intangible, posed a significant threat to Wang Yang's soul. He realized any defense might be futile against them.
As the leader released the spikes, Wang Yang dodged continuously. The leader remarked, "It's useless; you can't escape. Your soul will be pierced and you will die by my hand!"
However, the leader noticed something unusual. Wang Yang had maneuvered to position himself in front of other members of the Celestial Order. The spikes, about to strike Wang Yang, were now on a collision course with them.
Sensing the danger to their souls, the members of the Celestial Order were terrified. The leader, realizing this, halted the spikes.
"Even in this form, you still protect them," Wang Yang noted. He summoned bolts of lightning imbued with annihilation energy and hurled them at the Celestial Order members.
The leader, seeing this, rushed to shield them but was a fraction too slow. The lightning obliterated several members, reducing them to ash.
For the first time, the leader's calm facade cracked with anger. Strangely, he realized these bolts of lightning could also harm him.