374: Battle of the Western Moon

West Moon's fingers were inky black, wreathed in dark Qi, and his claw aimed directly for Bai Jingjing's heart—

This strike condensed his obsession and monstrous hatred from his previous life; if it hit, her Divine Soul would be annihilated, with no Reincarnation ever again!

But Bai Jingjing did not dodge.

Instead, she took a step forward, offering her chest to the fatal claw, tears shimmering in her eyes, her voice soft yet firm: "If killing me can free you... then do it. But remember, in the next life, I will still find you and continue to love you."

"Disgusting!!!"

West Moon roared in fury, his fingertips barely half an inch from her skin, yet trembling slightly because of her words.

Just in this moment of life and death—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three vast pressures, like star seas, descended from the Nine Heavens, tearing through clouds and shattering mountains!

It was Emperor Qin, Shen Wuya, and Ling Tian who had arrived!

These three had already entered the True Immortal realm! With every gesture, the Law resonated, and heaven and earth submitted.

As for West Moon, he was merely at the Soul Transformation cultivation, like an ant shaking a mountain before a True Immortal.

A verdant leaf floated gently, seemingly soft, yet containing supreme Dao rhyme. With a crisp "ding," it actually dispersed West Moon's killing blow!

Shen Wuya's figure flickered, and he was already beside Bai Jingjing, pulling her into his embrace.

Shen Wuya had once undergone Fusion with the previous Heavenly Dao. He sensed that this Bai Jingjing was extraordinary.

He lightly tapped her glabella, and as his Divine Sense probed, his eyes suddenly erupted with unconcealable surprise. Indeed! She had a remnant will of the Heavenly Dao within her! And... its purity was extremely high!

Emperor Qin and Ling Tian were still unaware, only feeling that Shen Wuya's actions were unusual.

Shen Wuya regained his composure, turned, and cupped his hands with a smile, his tone generous: "Emperor Qin, Ling Tian, I won't contend with you two for West Moon. May we meet again!"

Before his words finished, he swept his sleeve, enveloping Bai Jingjing, and transformed into a green rainbow, instantly fleeing into a Void Realm crack, vanishing without a trace.

"Damn it!!!" West Moon's eyes were blood-red, roaring like a beast, "She's mine! Come back to me—!"

He frantically tried to pursue but was blocked by a golden light.

Emperor Qin stood with his hands behind his back, his imperial majesty like a prison: "You are mine."

Ling Tian, unwilling to be outdone, stepped forward and sneered: "Emperor Qin, you have the destiny of a born Emperor, why covet such unorthodox methods? Why not let this person go to me, and consider it building good karma."

Emperor Qin's gaze was like lightning, sweeping in the direction Shen Wuya had disappeared, and he said in a deep voice: "If I were you, I would be chasing Shen Wuya right now! That old fox never acts without profit; suddenly snatching away a woman who hasn't even formed a Golden Core must have a hidden motive!"

Ling Tian gritted his teeth: "I know there's a problem! But I've fought him before—I'm no match for him!"

"Hahahaha!" Emperor Qin laughed uproariously, "Do you really think you can defeat me?"

Ling Tian's eyes were like knives, his Battle Intent boiling: "How would I know if I don't try? Today is a good day to determine who is superior!"

"Hmph, then don't blame me for being ruthless." Emperor Qin's expression hardened, and he abruptly flung West Moon aside, forming hand seals and shouting: "Epang Palace, appear!"

Rumble—

A majestic palace, like a star, emerged from the Void Realm. With golden tiles, glazed roofs, and Dragon-patterned pillars, it was his Lifebound Treasure, the "Great Qin Epang Palace"! The palace descended with nine layers of Restriction, firmly trapping West Moon within it. No matter how he roared and charged, it was like a mayfly shaking a tree.

Immediately, Emperor Qin unleashed his full imperial might, with twelve Dragon shadows appearing around him, treading on mountains and rivers, facing Ling Tian directly.

Ling Tian no longer concealed himself either; three elephants emerged from behind him—

The White Tiger roared at the moon, the Black Tortoise suppressed the sea, and the Azure Dragon soared through the clouds! Three Divine Beast phantoms encircled his body, stirring up the world's killing Qi. He knew this battle would be to the death!

Emperor Qin's imperial might was fully unleashed. Twelve golden Dragon phantoms coiled and ascended around him, their Dragon roars shattering the clouds. The earth beneath his feet automatically spread into a thousand-mile territory map—Xianyang Palace towers, imperial roads, signal fires, and a million armored soldiers in formation, as if the entire Great Qin Empire had descended with him!

"Ling Tian, your God Slaying Pavilion is merely an assassin organization; do you really dare to contend with Us?"

Before his words finished, he beckoned with his right hand, and the heaven opening axe fell with a thunderous crash from Chaos! Before the axe blade arrived, space had already fractured, and a golden axe aura, spanning a thousand miles, chopped directly towards Ling Tian's head!

Ling Tian roared: "Three Elephants, return to your positions!"

The White Tiger behind him roared to the sky, its sharp claws tearing space; the Black Tortoise sank into the earth's pulse, its shell forming a shield; the Azure Dragon soared through clouds and mist, its Dragon tail sweeping horizontally! The phantoms of the three ancient Divine Beasts intertwined into a defensive barrier, directly taking the heaven opening axe's blow—

Boom!!!

The shockwave swept for ten thousand miles, and the eastern mountain range of Tianqi Continent completely collapsed!

However, Ling Tian's knees bent slightly, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth—he had blocked it, but his internal organs were already shaken.

Ling Tian bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of vital blood, which scattered into the Void Realm, "God Slaying Pavilion's Nine Great Puppets, heed my command—appear!"

Nine abysses cracked open in the ground, and nine hundred-foot-tall bronze Puppets burst forth! Their eye sockets burned with quiet blue soul fire, and they wielded broken halberds, giant hammers, and chains. Each Puppet had undergone Fusion with an ancient battle soul and God Slaying secret runes, making them the strongest assassins of the God Slaying Pavilion civilization!!

"Kill!" The Nine Great Puppets moved in unison, blocking all escape routes for Emperor Qin.

Emperor Qin sneered, raising his left hand: "nine tripods suppress the world!"

Om—!

Nine bronze giant tripods fell from the Nine Heavens, rotating around his body. From within each tripod surged a monstrous river of Luck, transforming into golden chains that instantly entangled the Nine Great Puppets!

The Puppets struggled and roared, but they were suppressed by the inscriptions within the tripods, their movements as slow as if trapped in a swamp.

"Mere Puppets, yet you dare to call yourselves 'God Slayers'?" Emperor Qin stepped forward, swinging the heaven opening axe horizontally, "In Our time, We even slaughtered gods!"

The axe light rose again, and with one strike, it severed the heads of three Puppets!

Ling Tian's face was pale. He forcefully gathered his last bit of true essence, formed hand seals, and above his head appeared a bloody sword formation—the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation! Four ancient swords hung in four directions, their tips dripping blood, invoking a Heavenly punishment Lightning Tribulation!

"Emperor Qin! You have your Empire, and I have the Dao of God Slaying! Today, let Great Qin and the God Slaying Pavilion decide their survival here!"

The wills of the two great civilizations clashed with a roar!

Emperor Qin remained silent. The twelve Dragon shadows merged into one, forming a ten-thousand-foot Ancestral Dragon. The Dragon opened its mouth and actually swallowed the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation! Sword light exploded within the Dragon's belly, but it only caused a tremor of golden scales.

"Your methods, We have long seen through." Emperor Qin said coldly, "The God Slaying Pavilion is nothing but maggots hiding in the shadows; do you really dare to contend with the sun and moon?"

He suddenly swung his axe, aiming directly for Ling Tian's heart!

Ling Tian hastily raised his sword to block, and the god slaying sword snapped in response! The residual axe energy sent him flying a hundred feet, smashing through three mountain peaks, his clothes stained with blood.

"Cough... cough..." Ling Tian leaned against the broken cliff, then let out a bitter laugh, "...You're right, I can't beat you."

He turned, transforming into a streak of blood light, and fled in a panic, his voice echoing from afar: "West Moon... I leave him to you!"

Emperor Qin did not pursue. He knew Ling Tian was cunning, and pursuit might lead to an ambush. For now, West Moon was the key!

He turned and walked towards the figure trapped by the Epang Palace Restriction, reaching out to grab: "Come with me, your destiny is controlled by Us—"

But the moment his fingertips touched West Moon's sleeve—

"Crash!"

West Moon's entire being collapsed like a sand tower, instantly turning into a handful of ashes, scattered by the wind!

Emperor Qin's body stiffened, and his Divine Sense frantically swept—a faint aura of West Moon was detected a thousand miles away!

It turned out that Ling Tian, at the beginning of the battle, had secretly replaced West Moon's true body with the God Slaying Pavilion's secret art, "Soul Substitution Puppet Technique"!

The one trapped was merely a perfect Puppet, based on Dawn Moon's lingering thoughts and flesh and blood! And the real West Moon had already been secretly transferred by the God Slaying Pavilion's Puppets!

"Ling—Tian—!!!"

Emperor Qin roared to the sky, his voice like thunder exploding, and the entire firmament cracked due to his rage!

His eyes were blood-red, his imperial majesty transforming into monstrous killing intent: "You dare to deceive Us! We will uproot your God Slaying Pavilion completely! And make sure you can never reincarnate!"

Meanwhile, in the distance, Ling Tian leaned against a mountain wall, coughing up black blood, yet revealing a sinister smile: "Emperor Qin... you are still too orthodox, but in this chaotic world, ruthlessness is the true way of survival."

He gently caressed the unconscious West Moon in his arms, whispering: "What a tempting Chosen One, you are mine!"