A reddish light suddenly fell to the ground at the speed of light, creating a three-kilometer-long crack across the barren forest floor. Shortly after, a man in pristine white clothing descended and landed. Golden light shimmered around his body. Even as his feet touched the ground, the earth trembled, and his explosive energy radiated a new force, forming what looked like a visible frequency wave.
"Where are you hiding, Jian Hong? Even if you run to hell itself, I will find you and show you what hell truly is!" The man swung the two swords in his hands violently, forming a unique light formation, glowing with golden and blue rays.
"Divine Lantern!" As he shouted, the sound of the heavens thundered. From one of the lightning bolts, a transparent lantern materialized, floating and stopping right at the center of the formation. With the lantern, the atmosphere, once tense and dark, was now fully illuminated.
His gaze continued scanning the area, tracing it bit by bit. Yet he still could not find what he sought.
When the Realm of the Gods was destroyed, the God of War became immensely enraged. He attacked his enemies recklessly and was stranded in the Human Realm. Luo Tianqi, the God of War, grew increasingly furious. He unleashed powers that Jian Hong—his enemy this time—had never witnessed before.
Before reaching this point, both had fought desperately with two large armies involved. Even as the clan members were on the verge of collapse on the battlefield, neither had any intention of ending the night's battle. The hatred between them overshadowed the countless lives lost because of their actions.
"Is that bastard already dead?" Tianqi muttered. He began loosening his formation, feeling sufficiently safe.
Slowly, Luo Tianqi approached the figure he had already struck to the ground, two swords in his hands—one golden, one red. His eyes widened perfectly, and his face displayed endless rage. He swore that he would not stop searching until he found Jian Hong's corpse.
But as Tianqi walked over the cracked ground, something emerged from the fissures—a figure glowing with a red-and-black light over its entire body. Tianqi's alertness instantly spiked. He immediately hovered in the air, adopting a combat stance.
His focus shifted to the figure in the black robe—golden engravings on every side—hovering above with eyes closed. Despite a battered appearance with scratches on his face and the robe mostly soaked in blood, his majesty was undiminished. Slowly, both his eyes opened, emitting a sharp, burning red glow.
The gaze of the man wearing his majestic crown followed Yan Zhen wherever he moved, never leaving him for a second, constantly observing the enemy's movements. Gradually, the corner of his lips curled into a sinister smile, "I'm genuinely surprised to see that you're still alive after all that has happened."
Shortly after saying this, Jian Hong's energy radiated into the air. The pressure forced Luo Tianqi to step back, embedding his swords into the ground to maintain balance. "If I were you, I'd fix my mistakes instead of wreaking havoc upon the world."
"Even now, you refuse to surrender. You'd be better off stopping your resistance and accepting your death obediently, Jian Hong. Save some strength to endure your painful demise."
Yet a faint smile appeared on Jian Hong's face, "Even if I die here, I will not let you leave without serious injury. The vengeance between us must end today."
After saying this, Jian Hong moved his hands in a swirling motion. Red and black light from each of his hands intertwined like ropes, though the elements did not merge completely, forming a fiber-like energy strand. Both sides of the light continued spinning around each other. Soon after, he thrust the energy strands toward the sky, tilting his face upward.
Both his eyes closed completely, then a red formation surrounded by black light enveloped the entire sky. It was a large circular formation with intricate carvings, looming over both of them. With precise finger movements, a red light shot from his fingers, piercing the formation. The previously still energy now moved, gradually spinning faster and faster.
"God-Slaying Formation?" Luo Tianqi muttered. He stared at the terrifying formation with panic, though still attempting to mask it. He had fought demons often but had never seen a formation this powerful. Moreover, he had only read about it in books.
Clenching his jaw, Luo Tianqi grew even more furious. He slammed his swords into the ground, creating a glowing blue energy wave that managed to resist Jian Hong's wave. "You have truly become part of the demon clan, Jian Hong! I will not let you commit too many evils!"
After saying this, Luo Tianqi leaped to attack Jian Hong. Yet the rapid rotation of the demon formation generated an extraordinary wind mixed with red light, preventing him from approaching. His robes floated with the energy gust, leaving him suspended in the air with crossed swords in front of his face to block the wind. "What exactly is the power of this incredible formation?"
"You'll find out once you experience it yourself, Luo Tianqi," Jian Hong replied calmly. He again exerted all his power to strengthen the formation. "Take this!"
Luo Tianqi could no longer withstand the intense energy and was thrown against a large tree, vomiting a significant amount of blood from the impact. He clutched his chest, struggling to breathe, watching the demon formation advance and Jian Hong's hand directing it to press him further.
"Descend!" Jian Hong called calmly, his voice echoing through the air, instilling fear in anyone who heard it.
Tianqi did not remain idle. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and stood tall. "I must do something."
Both of Tianqi's swords hovered in the air, spinning. But after a moment, they fell back to the ground. He coughed up more blood in pain. When he looked at his hands, golden energy seemed to be drawn out.
"Damn! This formation is actually absorbing my power through the energy wind! No, I cannot die here. I cannot let Jian Hong win!" He closed his eyes again, this time empty-handed.
From his chest, he unleashed a furnace-like energy that soared higher, growing larger as it ascended. Light radiated from Tianqi's forehead, merging with the furnace magic. Jian Hong did not immediately notice.
"No matter what, only one of us can leave alive," Tianqi muttered as he perfected his formation.
Jian Hong hovered in the air, the formation now behind him, creating a dramatic scene. The mix of black and red light made him appear godlike. His cold gaze and downward pressing hands commanded the formation to move toward Luo Tianqi. "You will not escape death this time!"
But soon, a dazzling light emerged from the sky, distracting Jian Hong. The long-haired man shifted his gaze upward. Meanwhile, Luo Tianqi secretly wore a faint smile, watching the sky slowly split.
Lightning flashed and clouds swirled around the expanding circular rift, the thunder causing Jian Hong's eyebrows to rise. "So Luo Tianqi still has a final attack. But what is that immense power? I can feel tremendous pressure from there."
He observed the object emerging from the sky rift. Jian Hong's eyes widened as he saw a golden eye mixed with blue, about 40 meters wide, surpassing the size of his demon formation. As the eye blinked downward, Jian Hong's chest tightened, forcing him to clutch it.
Not only that, the weapon could create smaller clones of itself, scattered throughout the sky around them. "That… is the God Eye," Jian Hong whispered almost inaudibly. His chest rumbled with alarm, realizing the weapon above was extremely dangerous.
The God Eye is an ancient weapon of the gods, long unused, stored for millennia in a secret chamber known only to the God Emperor. Once used, it can destroy all three realms due to its overwhelming power.
History records only two uses: the first to destroy a broken realm and create a new order, and the second—Jian Hong did not know. Its power is far beyond his endurance or opposition.
Yet today, Luo Tianqi dared to use it for his ego. He could even purify the deadliest weapon in the world. Jian Hong looked down as Luo Tianqi smiled. "Something is wrong. This must be planned. The God Eye cannot be purified in just a few days. Does that mean Luo Tianqi orchestrated everything? Did he foresee this great war? And is killing me part of his grand scheme?"
A victorious smile appeared on Luo Tianqi's face. He felt satisfaction watching Jian Hong struggle as the God Eye descended toward the Human Realm. He clutched his chest, occasionally coughing.
"You may have the God-Slaying Formation, but I have purified a more powerful weapon to kill you!" Luo Tianqi shouted.
He rose, enduring the pain in his body. His complicated hand movements caused his forehead to emit golden light. Jian Hong did not remain idle. He shot forward like lightning toward Luo Tianqi hovering in the air. "If Luo Tianqi succeeds in activating all the God Eye's energy, not only I, but all three realms could be destroyed."
Jian Hong stretched his hands, eyes closed. Red and black light flowed from his body into his hands. From afar, he launched a spell at Tianqi, hitting him.
"Argh!" Tianqi yelled. He lost focus trying to activate the God Eye. Then he stopped, glaring at Jian Hong. He raised his hand skyward, and lightning struck it, forming a weapon larger than a sword. "Today, I will let you die!"
Tianqi lunged at Jian Hong. They clashed swords at lightning speed. Residual energy from both sides clashed in the air, demonstrating the rapid, fierce combat.
Jian Hong, having used all his energy for the God-Slaying Formation, was pushed back. "Damn, my formation might fail. Even after absorbing all of Tianqi's power, he still lives. His strength now grows faster than mine. What should I do?"
He gazed at the open formation above him. It no longer absorbed Tianqi's energy. The formation paused and vanished instantly. It would only last two minutes without absorbing energy from another immortal.
Seeing this, Luo Tianqi laughed triumphantly. "Hahaha, do you finally admit it, Jian Hong? Had you admitted it from the start, I might have been merciful and not let you die under the God Eye."
Jian Hong was cornered. He looked up at the nearly fully opened God Eye. "You know if the God Eye is activated, all three realms will vanish. So why are you still doing this?"