Fang Han never intended to detonate the Golden Core—but that didn't stop him from using it as bait. A feint to the east, a strike to the west. Just enough to throw Meng Shaobai off rhythm, force him into hesitation, and open a fatal gap.
And it worked.
The moment Meng Shaobai saw the Golden Core and heard the single character "Explode" emanate from it, his composure wavered. He retreated instinctively—precisely as Fang Han had calculated. That instant of disorder was all Fang Han needed.
The Fallen Star Bow and Star-Piercing Arrow, two peerless killing treasures, shot out like twin streaks of cold judgment, aiming straight for Meng Shaobai's soul. If this attack landed, the threat of Meng Shaobai would end here.
The maneuver was vicious; the timing, merciless; the deception, flawless.
Even the three Longevity-Realm giants watching the duel jolted in surprise. None had expected Fang Han to wield battlefield tactics with such precision in the heat of combat. If Meng Shaobai had been facing an equal, that single move would've sealed his fate.
The Star-Piercing Arrow carried the force of boundless constellations. Once locked onto someone's aura and spirit, it didn't stop until the target died. Even Golden Core experts struggled to escape it.
And now, it was less than three feet from Meng Shaobai's forehead.
"A pitiful trick."
There wasn't the slightest panic on Meng Shaobai's face. His mind slipped into a lake-calm state. His qi tightened inward like a Kunpeng gulping down the sea—drawing heaven and earth into collapse around him. The wind shredded space into strips of broken glass.
Then—
Whoosh!
The Star-Piercing Arrow was sucked straight into his belly.
"What?"
Fang Han's eyes narrowed. He had refined both the bow and arrow—he could sense them as if they were part of his own limbs. But now the arrow had dropped into a bizarre, endless internal space inside Meng Shaobai, drifting in a churning chaos. Strange energies pressed in from every direction, trying to dissolve the spiritual imprint Fang Han had left inside the treasure.
Dissolve.
He could feel it clearly.
Meng Shaobai had used the Demonic Fetus Parasite Art to parasitize a Kunpeng, inheriting the creature's terrifying life traits. An ancient Kunpeng could swallow stars themselves; inside its belly lay limitless chaos capable of digesting all matter. Meng Shaobai wasn't at that level, but he could wrap his Kunpeng soul around a treasure and begin refining it on the spot.
"So this is the Kunpeng's devouring nature… impressive. Even though I expected it, feeling it firsthand is something else."
Fang Han's lips curled.
"But if he thinks he can refine the Star-Piercing Arrow, he's dreaming."
"You want to kill me with a single treasure? You're underestimating me," Meng Shaobai said coldly.
He vanished. The next moment, a sword appeared against Fang Han's ribs, stabbing forward with vicious finality.
The strike was thunder incarnate—its chill sucked the life out of the surrounding air. Qi collapsed inward, and anyone below a certain level would've been dragged to the sword's tip.
But the moment the blade came within three meters of Fang Han, a radiant five-colored canopy bloomed above him—an emperor's ceremonial coronet wrought of light.
The canopy shimmered with auspicious clouds, thunderous echoes, and crackling arcs of lightning. Its emergence pushed outward with overwhelming force. Meng Shaobai's sword hit an invisible wall—unable to pierce through.
"Magnificent… the Five Emperor Demon Art truly rivals apocalyptic divine powers," the Elder of Heavenly Execution murmured.
Ruyi and Jiang Rourou both nodded, eyes sharp. Even they were impressed.
"Meng Shaobai," Fang Han laughed, "this canopy was forged from the essence of a Vermilion Bird, a White Tiger, a Flood Serpent, a Water Ape, and a Black Tortoise. Nothing can break it. Unless you self-detonate your Kunpeng soul. But would you really die just to crack my shield?"
As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve. Several grape-sized purple lights shot toward Meng Shaobai.
Purple Thunder Seeds.
Treasures he had taken from Song Weiyi before killing him.
Meng Shaobai recognized them instantly. "Purple Thunder Seeds?!"
These one-use Taiyi Sect artifacts exploded with devastating violet fire. Even brushing against one meant catastrophe.
He vanished again.
His speed shattered the air into overlapping layers of compressed storms. Thunderous shockwaves rolled around Fang Han's canopy as millions of micro-explosions burst outward.
"Fang Han! You think hiding inside a turtle shell means I can't touch you? I'll bury you in endless storms. Let's see how long your shell lasts!"
Meng Shaobai flickered across the sky—west, then east, then everywhere at once. Each flap of his six Kunpeng wings birthed a storm that detonated like thunder. In the blink of an eye, hundreds… thousands… millions of wind-thunder blasts hammered the five-colored canopy.
Speed.
He was speed incarnate.
No one could match a Kunpeng's flight.
Fang Han's canopy—the Five Emperor Demon Art—was indeed impenetrable. Even low-grade Dao artifacts couldn't break it. Not even a Golden Core explosion would guarantee success.
But Meng Shaobai wasn't trying to pierce it—only to overwhelm Fang Han with speed and continuous force. With his infinite Kunpeng qi, he could keep this going forever.
Two unshakable forces deadlocked.
Fang Han: untouchable defense.
Meng Shaobai: uncatchable speed.
"No clear winner now," the Elder of Heavenly Execution admitted.
"Not necessarily," Jiang Rourou said softly. "Fang Han still has hidden cards. I can feel it."
Ruyi snorted coldly. "Three whole realms of difference. Even with all his tricks, Fang Han should lose eventually. Meng Shaobai could fight someone who defies destiny itself and still hold his ground."
"Trying to refine my Star-Piercing Arrow, are you?"
Fang Han's eyes glinted. "Perfect. You've just revealed your position."
By swallowing the arrow, Meng Shaobai had inadvertently connected his Kunpeng soul to Fang Han's mind. That faint thread was all Fang Han needed.
He had planned this from the beginning.
Threaten with a fake Golden Core explosion.
Force Meng Shaobai to devour the arrow.
Use the link to track him—Kunpeng speed meant nothing if he couldn't hide.
"Heaven-Shrouding Demon Hand! Seize him!"
A colossal black hand erupted from Fang Han's left palm, wreathed in demonic fire, streaks of five-colored radiance, and threads of thunder. It swept aside the surrounding storms and plunged straight into a swirling vortex of chaotic airflow.
The hand had grown even stronger since Fang Han mastered the Five Emperor Demon Art—especially after absorbing the Thunder-Bone Relic's power.
Boom!
The vortex shattered.
Meng Shaobai's true body was exposed.
The hand's grip froze the air itself, locking space in place. Trees, rocks—everything would've been crushed to cinders had they been near.
"Sword-Qi Lifeless—Seize the Heavens!"
Meng Shaobai roared. His six wings flared as he merged with his blade, transforming into a sword-dragon wreathed in annihilating aura. It looked eerily similar to the sword dragon formed by dozens of masters of the Three Great Sword Sects—except his was stronger.
The sword-dragon struck.
It smashed aside the Heaven-Shrouding Demon Hand.
Then slammed into the five-colored canopy over Fang Han.
Boom!
The canopy trembled violently.
It didn't break—but the shockwave rippled through heaven and earth.