Before the sacred doors of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it could freeze solid. The frigid moonlight of the Grand Alignment of Seven Stars shone down, illuminating the two silhouettes standing in direct opposition. On one side stood the Huyen Envoy, the strategist of the Sacred Dynasty, his black robes billowing in the wind, his aura yin-cold, evil, and unfathomably deep. On the other stood Tran Kien, in simple indigo garb, wielding the Lac Hong Saber, his momentum radiant, upright, and as steadfast as a mountain.
This was not merely a confrontation between two individuals. This was a clash between two "True Destinies." One represented the millennium-old ambition of a demonic faction seeking possession and rebirth. The other represented the hope for the revival of the Lac Viet legacy, the sacred soul of the rivers and mountains.
"I am truly curious," the Huyen Envoy spoke, shattering the silence, his voice devoid of any tension. "You are merely a youth at the Qi Condensation Realm. How is it that you have thwarted the plans of my Sacred Dynasty time and time again? Could it be that the Lac Viet legacy is truly that miraculous?"
"Whether it is miraculous or not does not lie in the legacy," Tran Kien replied, his voice placid. "It lies in the 'heart.' The legacy of my ancestors teaches men how to harmonize with Heaven and Earth, to protect the common folk. As for your so-called 'Sacred Dynasty,' it only knows how to use blood sacrifices and resentful energy to prolong its rotting existence. That is not the 'Sacred Path'; that is the Demonic Path."
"Hahaha, the Demonic Path?" The Huyen Envoy laughed uproariously. "You are still far too green, little brat. The strong prey on the weak; that is the eternal law of Heaven and Earth. Today, allow me to teach you your final lesson."
He spoke no further. He struck.
The five Protectors at the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm standing behind him simultaneously formed hand seals. "Sacred Guards, form the array!" The five men instantly vanished, transforming into five streams of black qi that formed a pentagonal array, encircling Tran Kien. From within the array, countless illusions of Tran Kien's past failures and agonies manifested, attacking his Sea of Consciousness directly. "Sacred Dynasty Secret Art - Sovereign's Dream"!
Simultaneously, Thiet Phu and twenty Blood Fiend Guards lunged out from the darkness, confronting the five Protectors. "Your opponents are us!" Another battle erupted.
But Tran Kien, standing in the eye of the array, was completely unaffected by the illusions. His state of mind, having experienced life and death countless times, had long been as steadfast as a bedrock.
"The meager light of a firefly dares to compete with the radiance of the sun?"
"Solar Essence Guardian!"
An illusory sun manifested behind his back. The resplendent golden light, radiant and upright, spread outward, incinerating the entirety of the illusions. Seeing this, the Huyen Envoy was not surprised. He had been waiting for this. His figure moved like a phantom, appearing directly behind Tran Kien. In his hand was a Black Jade Seal, which he smashed straight down. A sudden, unavoidable lethal strike!
But Tran Kien seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He did not turn around. His movement technique suddenly became ethereal and unfathomable. "Unhindered Lac Feathers!" He glided a single step sideways, flawlessly evading the fatal blow. Simultaneously, the Lac Hong Saber in his hand swung upward—not in a slash, but in a heavy smash against the Black Jade Seal.
CLANG!
An ear-piercing collision of metal and jade rang out. Both men were simultaneously forced back several steps by the impact.
The true battle commenced. The Huyen Envoy's cultivation method was bizarre, every move targeting the Divine Soul. Tran Kien, on the other hand, fused all three layers of his array. At times, his defense was as unshakeable as a mountain; at times, his movement technique was as ethereal as the wind; and at times, his saber arts carried boundless vitality. The two clashed with earth-shattering intensity, causing the very square before the Imperial Ancestral Temple to quake.
But Tran Kien's cultivation base was, after all, a full realm lower. The longer he fought, the more he fell into a disadvantage, and several wounds had already appeared on his body.
"It's over," the Huyen Envoy sneered. He had found an opening. But he did not know that this was the very opening Tran Kien had deliberately exposed.
Just as the Huyen Envoy lunged forward, intending to deliver the killing blow, the ground beneath his feet—where the ancient paving stones lay—suddenly blazed with light. The motifs of dragons and Lac birds upon those stones seemed to come alive. The Dragon Aura of the Imperial Ancestral Temple had been ignited by Tran Kien's Primordial Chaos Qi!
"Not good!" The Huyen Envoy was horrified. He felt the demonic arts within his body being suppressed by an unimaginably profound righteous qi, his strength plummeting by thirty percent.
And that was exactly Tran Kien's opportunity. He did not retreat. He poured his absolute full strength into meeting the attack. "Lac Viet Heavenly Cycle Array - True Dragon Awakening!"
An illusory golden dragon, formed from the Dragon Aura of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and his own Primordial Chaos Qi, let out a thunderous roar from the Lac Hong Saber and shot out.
Before the sacred doors of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, two True Destinies—one representing a twisted past, one representing a heroic future—unleashed their ultimate strikes.
A single clash that would determine the survival of an entire dynasty.