The arena went completely silent. Where Zeravon's body had crumbled and vanished into the air, a black-and-white crack had opened. When he emerged from it in his shadow cultivation form, the entire world seemed to freeze.
Every disciple's breath caught. For the first time, true terror flickered in the eyes of the elders.
The audience was gripped with both panic and disbelief. Some disciples fell to the ground, their knees shaking. From some mouths came only a single phrase:
> "I-Is… he even human?!"
Yun Xiao and YueYin stood together. Their voices rang out in perfect sync:
> "Forbidden… God Cultivator!"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire arena literally shuddered.
Lian Ye and Mu Shenyue glanced at each other, their faces showing worry for the first time over their disciple. Even Mu Shenyue's cold voice wavered:
> "Th-this… this is a Forbidden God Cultivator…"
The audience collectively gasped. This was the cultivator mentioned only in ancient forbidden scrolls, which spoke of how millions of years ago, a Forbidden God had been so severely injured in an ancient battle that, if left unchecked, he would have destroyed himself with his own energy. To survive, he divided his immense power into five parts, making each part manageable.
These five parts were intentionally designed so that a worthy successor—or a new Forbidden God—could inherit them and reforge his legacy and power.
Meanwhile, Wuji XieJun sat relaxed on his throne, a calm smile appearing on his lips. He looked casually at Zeravon, as if he had already anticipated that something significant would happen.
> "Third Stage Forbidden God Cultivator…"
And then, smiling again, he added:
"Interesting."
His words only made the hearts of all sect leaders grow heavier.
---
Jinyao Mei froze in place. A chill ran through his heart. His eyes widened, and his lips barely moved in a whisper.
On YueYin's face, for some unknown reason, a smile appeared as she looked at Zeravon.
---
Zeravon took a step forward into the sky… and in the next moment, he vanished completely from the air.
"!!" The three fighters raised their guards in shock.
The next moment — WHOOSH! — Zeravon landed directly by his broken sword.
He picked up the half piece of the sword, ran his finger along its blood-stained edge… and spoke softly:
> "A sword… even if broken, the true form of a sword is never in its blade—it's always in the hand that wields it.
And in my hands… even a broken sword is enough to shatter all your Power."
The crowd went utterly silent. His words echoed across the entire dimension.
---
Zeravon spun the broken sword and struck a single slash — and in that one slash, Haoran's demonic flames FISSSHHH! dissipated as if they had never existed.
Haoran's eyes widened in shock.
> "H-How…?!"
Meanwhile, Tianyu summoned a blazing phoenix with his spear and charged. But Zeravon only took a cold step and sliced the phoenix into two pieces with his broken sword.
Yan Ya cracked her whip and summoned a black storm that was swallowing the barren land. But Zeravon, with a single slash, flung the storm back onto Yan Ya. She got caught in her own attack, blood spilling backward.
Lian Tianyu screamed and released his Astral Core. A huge golden core shone in the sky, releasing a monstrous spear strike that threatened to destroy the entire pocket world.
> "Zeravon! This… this is the true power of an Astral Core!"
The space itself began to shake. The audience clutched each other in fear.
But Zeravon casually observed the golden light and, with a cold smile, said:
> "This is your Astral Core power?
Now I'll show you… the true strength of an Astral Core."
In the next second, a second Astral Core manifested behind Zeravon. Its glow was so terrifying that space itself cracked further.
---
Wuji XieJun rose from his throne. Disbelief and shock shone in his eyes:
> "What the fu… Do… Do Astral Cores?!
This… impossible! An Astral Core only appears once in a million years for a newborn… and even then, it's with Lian Tianyu.
Then… how is there a second?!"
A strange grin appeared on his face, as if he finally understood that the real game had begun.
Meanwhile, all the sect leaders stood from their seats. From their mouths came only one phrase:
> "Two… two Astral Cores!!"
---
Haoran's flames and demonic aura, Yan Ya's sonic wave frequency and destructive radius, Lian Tianyu's Astral Core energy scaling…
Lian Tianyu unleashed his Astral Core attack at Zeravon. But Zeravon, with a single strike of his broken sword, reduced the golden attack to dust.
> "IMPOSSIBLE!!" Lian Tianyu screamed.
Zeravon cast a cold glance at him:
> "Your so-called Astral Core… is just a child's toy.
Watch… this is the real understanding."
Then he released a wave from his own Astral Core — and that wave forced Lian Tianyu to his knees.
---
The air pressure in the arena intensified once more. Holding the half of his broken sword, Zeravon stood — his real body, real power, and pure rage burning. A freezing fire ignited in his eyes.
Haoran, Lian Tianyu, and Yan Ya readied their ultimate powers. Their auras exploded into the sky. But this time, no matter how much power they exerted, they seemed like mere insects compared to Zeravon.
Zeravon took a step forward. The half-broken sword in his hand shone — not with light, but with pure threat, pure destruction.
Haoran lifted his flaming sword and swung brutally, but Zeravon merely sidestepped. The sword's edge barely touched him, sending a shockwave tearing through the ground — yet Zeravon remained perfectly safe.
Lian Tianyu released a full-power dragon with his blazing golden spear, sparks and flames erupting. The pocket world shook. But Zeravon, with a precision slash from his broken sword, disintegrated the dragon mid-air. Sparks and fire clouds exploded everywhere.
Yan Ya unleashed a sonic storm, invisible waves traveling through every corner of space. Zeravon spun halfway and reflected the wave with the sword's edge. The sonic storm crashed into Yan Ya's own aura, disturbing her balance.
Dust and shattered energy slowly settled around the arena. Yet Zeravon's atmosphere still vibrated. His red eyes radiated pure dominance. Holding the half of his broken sword tightly, he stood like a living storm — real body, real power, and pure revenge-fueled rage.
Haoran, Lian Tianyu, and Yan Ya staggered, their combined strength already analyzed in a single glance by Zeravon. Every pulse of their energy was predicted. They tried to recover their ultimate powers, each strike infused with desperation and rage.
Zeravon stepped forward, the ground trembling beneath his feet. His aura created an invisible crushing force, leaving the three fighters weak and vulnerable.
He lifted the half-broken sword and dashed at Haoran at lightning speed. His strike instantly disrupted Haoran's flame aura, exposing his demonic energy. Zeravon's slash was so precise that Haoran's sword grip and arm motion froze instantly. Haoran flipped through the air and crashed into jagged arena rocks, nearly unconscious.
Zeravon advanced step by step. With a lightning-fast spin, he grabbed Lian Tianyu's blazing spear. Both spear and dragon energy shattered under Zeravon's slash. Tianyu slammed backward, the arena rocks and floating debris fracturing further with every impact. He tried to continue fighting, but Zeravon's predictive timing and overwhelming speed made it impossible.
Lian Tianyu spun the spear to release a phoenix. Lightning and flames exploded, sparks and fire tornadoes swirling. The crowd froze in shock as debris and energy fragments flew into the sky.
But Zeravon dashed into the phoenix's core at flash speed. With a micro-spin slash from the half-broken sword, he disintegrated both the spear and phoenix energy simultaneously. Sparks and lightning fragments swirled and exploded, sending debris flying across large cracks in the arena floor.
Lian Tianyu crashed backward, airborne, slamming into jagged rocks. His spear shattered and phoenix energy vanished completely. The shockwave temporarily disrupted his qi.
With a single precise thrust, Zeravon targeted the half-broken sword near Lian Tianyu's chest — the force was so immense that Lian Tianyu could not control his feet. The sword's edge touched him, and he collapsed unconscious.
Yan Ya's sonic storm was continuously disrupted. Zeravon slashed downward, nullifying the sonic waves with the sword's vibration. She tried to aggressively strike with her whip and blasts, but against Zeravon's speed and precision, every attack was wasted. A shockwave sent her crashing into the cracked terrain, her balance completely destroyed.
Sect leaders Yun Xiao, Lian Ye, and Mu Shenyue tried to intervene again — but Wuji XieJun's voice echoed through the arena:
> "Enough. Your disciples' fate is now in Zeravon's hands. No rules can be broken, no one can intervene."
The leaders could only watch, helpless and tense.
Yan Ya's body and sonic aura were neutralized in a synchronized explosion, crashing near the arena's edge, nearly unconscious.
Only dust swirled in the arena now, and the echoes of shattered energy filled the air. The crowd remained frozen in silence. Zeravon stood perfectly calm — every move controlled, every strike precise, a living nightmare for any fighter.
Zeravon stood calmly, zero fatigue, gripping the half-broken sword tightly, exuding pure dominance. The three fighters were now completely helpless, and the sect leaders merely observed, Wuji XieJun's rule echoing through the arena.
---
To Be Continued…