Chapter 178: More Than Just the Indestructible Golden Body
"Li Xun, you sure made it hard to find you!"
A thunderous shout echoed across the skies.
High above the earth, a massive black hand tore through the clouds, descending from the heavens and clawing toward Li Xun.
BOOM!
The ground caved in. Mountains crumbled. A terrifying pressure surged outward, blanketing over a thousand kilometers in every direction. All living creatures caught within that radius were instantly overwhelmed, trembling uncontrollably.
The weaker beasts didn't even have a chance to react—they were crushed into blood mist in an instant.
"Hmph, looks like someone really was waiting for me," Li Xun muttered.
He looked up, his entire body radiating with blinding light. Without moving an inch, he raised his own hand to meet the incoming strike.
A colossal golden hand shot up, like a tidal wave rising against the heavens.
BOOM!
The attacker—Duke Qi of the mid-stage Divine Palace Realm—had struck with his full might. But the clash didn't go in his favor. Both hands exploded on impact, shattering into nothingness in the sky.
"Hmm?"
Duke Qi hovered in mid-air, his robe flapping in the wind. He squinted at Li Xun, narrowing his gaze.
"That's... the Indestructible Golden Body?"
One of the two supreme secret techniques of the Great Bright Monastery.
He recognized it—he had seen it before, during the great battle a hundred years ago. A powerful monk had once used it in combat. Back then, even saints had struggled to break its defense.
Normally, only monks in the Divine Palace Realm were permitted to study the technique. Even then, very few could actually grasp it, let alone master it quickly.
But now...
Li Xun had only disappeared for about a year. And judging by the aura he was giving off now, he had already reached the Minor Completion Stage of the Indestructible Golden Body?
That was simply absurd.
The Indestructible Golden Body was a Saint-level body refinement technique. Even cultivators in the Divine Palace Realm would struggle to comprehend it. And Li Xun? He was only in the late stage of the Life and Death Realm!
How could he possibly achieve this level in just a year?
Was his talent truly that heaven-defying?
"It's not just the Indestructible Golden Body," Li Xun finally spoke.
In his hand, a jet-black halberd appeared—the Azure Dragon Halberd. A tide of murderous intent erupted from the weapon, surging outward and engulfing several hundred kilometers in a suffocating miasma.
It was as if the entire world had been swallowed by a sea of killing intent.
Li Xun stood tall, gripping the Azure Dragon Halberd. His aura shifted dramatically. A moment ago, with the Indestructible Golden Body, he'd seemed like a celestial king descended upon the mortal world. But now...
Now, he radiated the overwhelming power of a Demon Lord.
A faint yet terrifying pressure began to build around him—as if he could annihilate the heavens themselves.
"A Supreme-Grade Dao Weapon..." Duke Qi's face darkened.
If Li Xun was willing to bring out a weapon like that, it could only mean one thing:
He wasn't planning to run.
After all, who flashes their trump card when trying to escape?
That would just be asking for trouble.
"It seems... the Great Chu Dynasty has vastly underestimated you," Duke Qi muttered.
With a deep breath, a silver-white longsword appeared in his hand. In the next instant, he stepped forward like a streak of lightning, lunging straight at Li Xun.
CLANG!
Li Xun met the strike head-on, completely fearless. The Azure Dragon Halberd swept out in an elegant yet deadly arc, black divine light bursting forth and colliding with the longsword.
Sparks exploded in every direction. The clash rang like thunder. Waves of raw power tore through the landscape, reducing entire mountain ranges to dust.
Within a thousand kilometers, the world shook violently.
Beneath the heavens, two figures battled with all their might—
A clash of titans, a duel that shook the skies.
Even though Duke Qi held the advantage in cultivation—already having reached the mid-stage of the Divine Palace Realm—he was only managing to fight Li Xun to a standstill.
In fact, with Li Xun's relentless assault, the balance of victory had begun to tip in his favor.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion rocked the sky. In the blinding flash of light, Duke Qi was sent flying, his figure streaking backward like lightning. But Li Xun was even faster—like a true dragon piercing through the clouds and shattering the moonlight.
In a single step, he closed the gap.
The Azure Dragon Halberd swept out in a wide arc, leaving a trail of dark light that made the mountains, rivers, and valleys around them tremble. The sky was lit up with his brilliance.
Shiiing! Shiiing! Shiiing!
Beams of divine light shot out from his weapon. Each one spanned hundreds of meters, sharp enough to make the air itself cry out. Even before they landed, they sent chills down one's spine.
"This is impossible!"
Duke Qi was utterly stunned. He simply couldn't believe Li Xun had grown this powerful.
Sure, Li Xun had the advantage of wielding a Supreme-Grade Dao Weapon. But he himself had the upper hand in cultivation. By all rights, even if he couldn't defeat Li Xun quickly, he definitely shouldn't be falling behind like this.
And yet, the truth was plain before his eyes.
He was being pushed back. If things continued at this rate, it wouldn't be long before he was completely defeated!
"I can't afford to hold back any longer!"
With a shout, Duke Qi shattered several divine beams with a palm strike. A jade slip appeared in his hand. He poured his spiritual energy into it, sending out two urgent messages.
They were for Duke Ding and Duke Wei, who were both not far from the battlefield.
If he could just hold out for a while longer, the two other Dukes would arrive. And once they did, with all three Dukes of the Divine Palace Realm working together—even someone as monstrous as Li Xun wouldn't be able to escape death.
. . . . . . . . . .
Meanwhile, some 300 kilometers away, hidden in a patch of distorted space...
An elderly man in blue robes stood silently, his aura completely suppressed. In his hand were two freshly severed heads, still dripping with blood. He had chosen a discreet vantage point, his eyes locked on the distant battle, unblinking.
"A late-stage Life and Death Realm cultivator going up against a mid-stage Divine Palace expert... not only holding his ground, but actually gaining the upper hand?"
The old man murmured to himself, disbelief in his voice.
He almost couldn't trust what he was seeing.
"As expected, the young mistress was worrying too much," he muttered, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Even if I hadn't stepped in, even if Li Xun couldn't defeat all three of the Divine Palace Dukes… he could definitely escape without anyone being able to stop him."
The old man glanced down at the two heads in his hand. A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes.
He had opted for a swift and brutal assault, striking with deadly precision to avoid drawing attention. In doing so, he had killed two Dukes of the Great Chu Dynasty, all while keeping the third—Duke Qi—in the dark.
But it wasn't without cost.
He'd taken some injuries in the process.
Even so...
A smile returned to his face as he thought to himself, 'It was worth it.'
A Duke of the Great Chu Dynasty—even a hereditary one—was no ordinary figure. And yet, Li Xun, still only in the late stage of the Life and Death Realm, could already face one in open combat.
That kind of potential... was terrifying.
If Li Xun continued on this path, ascending to sainthood would be all but guaranteed. And if that happened? Well, clinging to his coattails might just clear a few thorns from the young mistress's path to becoming the Empress of Chu.
Shaking off those thoughts, the old man turned his eyes back to the battlefield.
"If nothing unexpected happens..." he whispered, "That Duke Qi is about to flee."
The other two Dukes still hadn't shown up. At this point, even Duke Qi would begin to sense something was wrong. And since he was no match for Li Xun, he had only one option left—
Run.
From the old man's perspective, defeating a Divine Palace Realm cultivator at Li Xun's level was already an incredible feat.
But killing one?
That was a whole different matter.
Victory and death were two very different things.
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