Facing Chen Xiao's ferocious assault, Hong Qianye remained calm, countering each strike effortlessly and with precision.
The skies thundered, as if on the verge of collapse.
Both figures moved like flickering phantoms, their exchanges too fast for the eye to follow. Violent currents of energy swirled between them, ripping through the void like a raging storm.
"How is this possible?"
The longer Chen Xiao fought, the more shocked he became. It felt like every one of his attacks was swallowed by the void, as if striking empty air—completely ineffective.
"I've never seen such battle instincts or reflexes in the Yuhua Sect… How could the insignificant Xuantian Sect produce someone like this?"
Doubt crept into Chen Xiao's heart.
What he didn't know was that he wasn't facing an ordinary disciple at all—but a seasoned cultivator who had clawed his way up from obscurity to dominance in the Demonic Path!
Years of hard-earned experience, sharpened instincts, and honed combat sense far outclassed anything this so-called prodigy from the Yuhua Sect could muster.
"You're too weak. Pathetic."
Hong Qianye scoffed, exploiting an opening with fluid precision. He channeled power into his palm and struck. The blast of energy surged forward like a burning tide.
"Pfft!"
Chen Xiao coughed up blood, his body hurtling backward over a hundred meters.
His expression was filled with shock and disbelief.
"The Saint Son of Yuhua Sect is actually being overpowered by a Xuantian Sect disciple?!"
An uproar broke out among the gathered factions.
"Elder Yan, this…" the elders looked on in disbelief.
Elder Yan's face was grim. This was a humiliation—a slap in the face for the entire Yuhua Sect.
Wasn't Xuantian Sect supposed to be a minor sect? Why was this 'random' disciple so monstrous?!
"Saint Son! Don't lose heart! You're the top genius carefully selected by Yuhua Sect. You carry the bearing of an immortal!"
Elder Yan barked firmly.
"I… the Saint Son… possess the bearing of an immortal…"
Chen Xiao muttered under his breath.
His broken spirit began to piece itself together.
His gaze sharpened.
"I haven't lost yet!"
He let out a defiant roar toward the heavens. His eyes blazed with golden light, his body turning radiant like molten divine metal. He became a miniature sun, blazing with dazzling brilliance.
A burning sun hung in the sky, searing all in its presence.
Suddenly, a terrifying surge of heat erupted, locking onto Hong Qianye like a predator hunting prey.
"Childish."
Hong Qianye looked at him with cold disdain, seeing him as nothing more than a desperate, powerless fool.
"Die!!"
Chen Xiao bellowed.
A golden pillar of light—hundreds of meters wide—burst through the void, sweeping across the heavens.
Primary Divine Technique: Solar Eclipse!
Even seasoned Unity Stage cultivators would find this technique difficult to comprehend, yet Chen Xiao had already grasped it at the entry level.
Combined with his Solar Immortal Body, it was a devastating blow capable of obliterating early Unity Stage cultivators!
Indeed.
Chen Xiao was truly powerful—one of the brightest talents in the Eastern Domain.
Even if thrown into the Central Region, he'd still earn great prestige.
Unfortunately…
He ran into Hong Qianye.
A reborn True Immortal with a heavenly fire spirit root, wielding a supreme technique that matched him perfectly.
With all these advantages stacked, he was a force of pure terror.
"Heh."
Hong Qianye raised a hand, releasing seven-colored flames that swept out like a tempest, powerful enough to scorch the heavens and boil the seas.
As the two ultimate techniques collided, the energy storm that followed looked as if it would tear the sky apart.
"Is this really just Transformation Stage power?" Ouyang Feng muttered in disbelief.
Compared to this, his own abilities felt fake.
Other cultivators at the Transformation Stage trembled. This level of force could obliterate even Unity Stage powerhouses!
As the dust and shockwaves began to fade, divine senses from all directions honed in.
"Who won?"
Nerves ran high.
Then—a figure soaked in blood fell from the sky, his robes tattered, eyes vacant, and spirit shattered.
"It's the Saint Son of Yuhua Sect!!"
Gasps rippled across the field.
"Hmph, a mere flicker dares to outshine the full moon?"
Hong Qianye sneered.
From beginning to end, he never saw Chen Xiao as anything more than a joke.
"Ye Shizhi… your disciple is terrifying…" Xu Yonian muttered, dumbstruck.
Having crushed even Yuhua Sect's Saint Son, everyone now wondered—where did this monster come from?
"Xiao Hong," Ye Junlin called out.
Hong Qianye appeared beside him, cupping his fists. "Master, what are your orders?"
Ye Junlin smiled with satisfaction. "You did well. Treat me to a good meal tonight."
"Thank you, Master… wait, what?"
Hong Qianye blinked in confusion. Why was he the one paying?
---
Meanwhile, Chen Xiao was carried onto a boat by several elders.
"Saint Son, take this quickly!" One elder offered a high-grade healing pill.
As the Saint Son of Yuhua Sect, there was no room for mishaps.
After swallowing the pill, Chen Xiao's condition improved rapidly. His chaotic aura began to stabilize.
But his mind was still dazed.
"I lost… I really lost…"
His will had completely collapsed.
Elder Yan's heart ached. His eyes turned red as he shouted:
"Saint Son! Pull yourself together!"
His voice carried a soothing resonance. Chen Xiao's body trembled slightly, and some clarity returned to his eyes.
Clenching his jaw, he said bitterly, "Elder Yan… I've lost. I'm not unmatched in my realm. I've brought disgrace to Yuhua Sect."
"Don't say that! Your future is still bright. You have the demeanor of an immortal!"
Elder Yan tried to encourage him.
But as he looked at Chen Xiao's broken spirit, he sighed deeply and turned his gaze back toward the figure in red.
A cold light flashed in his eyes.
"This humiliation against Yuhua Sect's Saint Son must be avenged!"
With that declaration, the elders around him erupted with terrifying aura.
Each one had reached the Unity Stage!
"Heavenly Lords… they're all Heavenly Lords!" Ouyang Feng exclaimed.
To reach Unity Stage was to earn the title of Heavenly Lord, a realm where one truly walked in step with the heavens.
It was a shocking display of Yuhua Sect's hidden strength.
Each of the nine elders present was at Unity Stage—an overwhelming show of force!
The expressions of those from Hanging Temple and the Xue Family turned pale.
This was no longer a mere exchange—it was a threat!
"Who will retrieve the target for execution?" Elder Yan asked coldly.
"I'll do it."
A tall, burly elder stepped out and shot forward.
The oppressive might of a mid-Unity Stage powerhouse descended.
"Master," Hong Qianye spoke up, his expression troubled.
He clearly couldn't handle this kind of opponent.
"Don't worry. Leave this to me."
Ye Junlin stepped forward casually—and released a terrifying pressure.
Boom!
In that instant, everyone's eardrums rang violently.
"Xuantian Sect's leader… is at Unity Stage?!" The Arid Province cultivators were stunned.
"Our Arid Province… has a Heavenly Lord?!"
Ouyang Feng was nearly jumping with excitement.
But none were more shocked than Xu Yonian and the others.
"First, we thought he was Nascent Soul. Then Transformation Stage. Now Unity Stage?!
Xu Yonian's face turned dark. "Ye Shizhi, are you playing us all along?!"
---
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