Gasps of shock rippled through the air as Qin Yang's sword energy severed the golden bowstring with a single strike!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air shattered with the sound of multiple projectiles as frosty divine swords materialized around the golden-armored middle-aged man, forcing him to fend off attacks from all directions.
"Frost Giant Hand Seal!" Qin Yang roared, unleashing a thirty-meter-tall ice hand that descended like a meteor.
The entire warship froze over, encased in a layer of glacial frost.
Boom! The golden-armored man crushed the ice hand with a punch, sneering, "A mere Zongshi Realm cultivator dares challenge a Stellar Realm expert in direct combat?"
"Anger Blood Art!" Qin Yang's eyes blazed with divine light, his battle aura surging.
"Frost Giant Explosive Punch!" Qin Yang's fist erupted with power, his physical prowess amplifying the punch's destructive force.
"Keep hiding and you might last longer. But you've chosen death!" The golden-armored man countered with a punch of his own, confident it would reduce Qin Yang to splinters.
As their fists collided, Qin Yang twisted his body, evading the attack completely. His punch landed squarely on the golden-armored man's chest.
The explosive release of frost true qi instantly froze the golden-armored man into a crystalline statue.
In the next instant, the middle-aged man in golden armor shuddered violently, shattering all the ice encasing his body.
His mind was battered by a tidal wave of shock—Is this the Zongshi Realm?
He could feel the freezing true qi seeping into his body, slowing even the flow of his own energy. Before he could dispel the frost coating his golden battle armor, Qin Yang's storm-like assault came crashing down again.
On the Heavenly Star Path, an unbelievable spectacle unfolded—one that defied the imagination of all present.
A Zongshi Realm cultivator was pummeling a Stellar Realm cultivator into the ground!
As the middle-aged man reeled from Qin Yang's overwhelming power, a deep sense of humiliation welled up within him. If this disgraceful scene were to spread, his own honor and that of the Nangong Clan would be utterly destroyed, becoming a laughingstock for generations!
"You brat! Is this all you've got?" the armored man roared. "This is like scratching an itch! You can't even hurt me!"
Though he remained unharmed, the reality of being thoroughly outmatched by Qin Yang couldn't be denied...
"Frost Giant Hand Seal!"
Two massive icy hand seals materialized—one from the left, one from the right—and slammed into the armored man with brutal force.
Like swatting a mosquito, they crushed him completely.
"Useless!" The golden-armored middle-aged man's war armor blazed with intense light. He swung his fists repeatedly, shattering the icy giant handprints with each strike.
Just as he destroyed the last handprint, a frosty dragon of ice surged from the heavens.
Each attack came in seamless succession, all ice-based assaults that left the golden-armored man completely on the defensive.
"Frost Dragon Palm!"
The hundred-zhang-long ice dragon, larger than a magical warship, roared across the Heavenly Star Path. Its scaled body shimmered with life-like realism, as if a living divine dragon had materialized.
Qin Yang's azure eyes glinted as he rapidly formed hand seals. "Ice Dragon's Breath!"
A pillar of frozen air erupted toward the golden-armored man, forcing him to stagger backward.
The hundred-zhang ice dragon then lunged forward in a full charge.
The golden-armored man was sent flying by the impact!
"What?! A Stellar Realm cultivator has been knocked back by a Zongshi Realm expert?"
The crowd stared in disbelief. They had expected Qin Yang to exhaust his true qi while the golden-armored man maintained his combat strength, making victory inevitable for the latter.
Yet now, the situation appeared far different from their expectations.
Mid-air, the golden-armored man stared in disbelief. The ice dragon's overwhelming force had momentarily overwhelmed him, but the dignity of the Stellar Realm could not be violated!
Mid-air, the golden-armored middle-aged man clenched his fists, directly absorbing the full force of the Frost Dragon's attack. With a powerful swing of his arms, he tore the icy beast apart.
"I'll stand right here and let you strike. What can you possibly do? Could you even graze me?" The golden-armored man's body shimmered with radiant light, resembling a golden-armored war god, invincible and arrogant.
Yet his hair was frosted with ice.
Qin Yang's eyes narrowed, his azure pupils shifting to a fiery crimson.
With a thunderous shout, Qin Yang formed a hand seal at his lips. He drew in a deep breath before exhaling explosively.
"Hell Flame: Fire Blast!"
The golden-armored man hung suspended in mid-air, a perfect target.
His eyelid twitched. Disregarding the threat, he attempted to evade, but found his Stellar Realm agility compromised by the relentless attacks.
The scorching pillar of fire engulfed him. First extreme cold, now raging flames. Though the armored man remained defiant, his golden armor suddenly emitted a cracking sound!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the golden battle armor before it shattered completely.
"What? That was a Heaven-Grade magical treasure!"
"Since when could a Zongshi Realm cultivator destroy a Heaven-Grade magical treasure?"
"Is this brat truly only at the Zongshi Realm?"
"He's still a youth! Just a student!"
Whispers rippled through the crowd as the pillar of fire dissipated. The golden-armored middle-aged man stood disheveled, his hair singed and scorched.
He no longer resembled the awe-inspiring golden-armored war god. Instead, Qin Yang now embodied the very image of an invincible battle deity!
The Eight Divine Clans - Lou Clan, Gongsun Clan, Wei Family - all regarded Qin Yang with transformed eyes. This young man transcended the label of "genius."
"Such combat prowess... a Warrior Grandmaster..." Gongsun the elder inhaled sharply, his gaze shifting to Martial Heaven aboard Celestial Academy's flying treasure ship. This boy's future achievements would undoubtedly surpass even Martial Heaven's!
Martial Heaven's face stiffened. This brat had already carved a row of "windows" into his Imprisonment Tower - how could his golden battle armor possibly compare?
Martial Heaven froze. Qin Yang's combat strength could indeed shatter a Heaven-grade treasure, yet why hadn't he used that technique?
Just as the thought formed, Martial Heaven's brow furrowed.
Simultaneously, all eyes focused on Qin Yang's movements.
Qin Yang formed his fingers into a sword-like gesture and pointed them toward his side.
A Five-Colored Divine Sword materialized, its violent and overwhelming power exceeding Qin Yang's capacity. The entire blade trembled uncontrollably.
"Shocking Sword Finger! This strike's power rivals the Stellar Realm!" Gongsun the elder's eyes narrowed.
"Fire!" Qin Yang shouted.
The divine sword erupted with searing flames, their crimson glow piercing the eyes like hellish fire. Within the blaze, golden threads shimmered, amplifying the weapon's destructive power.
"Ice!" Qin Yang commanded again.
Crackle-crackle!
A shrill, teeth-grating noise filled the air as the raging inferno froze solid. The ice-crafted flames now pulsed with a sinister rhythm.
Fire and ice merged perfectly, emitting an aura that threatened to annihilate everything in its path. The crowd trembled at the sight.
"Earlier, he demonstrated both ice and fire martial techniques. Not only does he wield two opposing forces simultaneously, but he can also fuse them together?"
Qin Yang's display of power left the onlookers utterly stunned, their minds numbed by the sheer impossibility of what they witnessed.
What would have been inconceivable in any other person now seemed commonplace in Qin Yang.
The golden-armored middle-aged man finally showed genuine fear. He moved to draw his bow, then froze - Qin Yang had already severed the string of his precious golden bow!
A horrifying realization struck him. "You... planned this all along!" he gasped. "Every move was deliberate!"
"Correct." Qin Yang nodded. The Extermination Sword trembled on the edge of his control. He chuckled softly, "I never intended to harm you."
The crowd stared at Qin Yang, their hearts clenching.
"Because I only want to kill you."