179: Chapter 179 The Wrath of the Heavens

He spoke, his voice steady and calm, yet carrying an absolute majesty that crushed all pride, clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Who else?"

"Come up together, lest you waste time in vain."

Boom!

Once these words were spoken, they were like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens striking down from the sky, slamming fiercely into the hearts of the four Prodigies!

Who were they?

They were peerless Prodigies who dominated their regions, were looked up to by thousands of Cultivators, and were nurtured by the full resources of their Sects!

When had they ever endured such undisguised contempt, contempt that was practically stepped upon their faces?

Their rage instantly burned away the last shred of their reason; their killing intent erupted from their chests like a volcano, shooting straight into the heavens!

"Roar!!!"

Burning Heaven's eyes were blood-red as he was the first to let out a roar like a Dragon's cry that shook the world!

The flames that had been silent for a moment around him erupted violently, and waves of fire, hot enough to distort space, swept in all directions with him at the center!

A crimson fire Dragon, over a hundred zhang long with scales like flowing lava, condensed and formed behind him!

The fire Dragon roared at the sky, its giant maw opening to spew a dark-gold breath that could burn everything to ashes—carrying the destructive power to tear the sky and melt through the Void Realm, it lunged down fiercely towards Xuanyuan Zhanxian!

Wherever it passed, the air burned, and white bones vaporized!

"Die!"

Almost simultaneously, Lei Potian let out a beast-like roar, and the pair of giant hammers wrapped in purple lightning in his hands were slammed together with the force of splitting a mountain!

"Boom crack!!!"

A deafening thunderclap exploded!

Countless purple lightning snakes, as thick as an adult's arm, surged madly from his body, instantaneously intertwining in the high sky to form a giant lightning net that blotted out the sun!

The giant net covered a radius of a hundred zhang, encompassing heaven and earth, and completely sealed off all space for Xuanyuan Zhanxian to dodge!

Every leaping electric snake contained a terrifying destructive power capable of shattering mountains and severing rivers!

The lightning net roared as it pressed down, with majestic celestial might!

"Suppress!"

Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's face was cold as ice, and he spat out only one word.

He flipped his wrist, his long sword dancing like it was flying, spilling out a sky full of cold, moon-like, and chilling Sword Qi!

The Sword Qi was not scattered but automatically intertwined and connected in the air, instantaneously transforming into a dense, endless, and coldly gleaming net of sword shadows!

The Sword Qi was grim and freezing to the Divine Soul, not only sealing off every inch of space for movement in all directions, but also cutting off all paths for retreat or maneuvering!

The sword net fell silently, the killing intent piercing and bone-chilling!

The Rage of Burning Heaven, the fire Dragon burning the world!

The celestial might of lightning, the lightning net covering the top!

The net of swords, killing in all directions!

The three attacked in anger, no longer holding anything back, their offensive maneuvers connecting seamlessly.

The violent spiritual power collided and underwent Fusion in mid-air, faintly resonating, and the surging pressure instantly skyrocketed—already touching the threshold of the Nascent Soul realm, even causing this ancient battlefield space to tremble slightly!

The surrounding air was compressed until it was almost frozen. Cultivators from all sides watching from outside the barrier in the distance all felt their breathing stifle, their heartbeats like beating drums, their eyes wide open as they stared fixedly at the center of the storm, afraid to miss any detail.

Seeing this, Chu Zhanxiao and Jian Tanghuang, who had been watching from the sidelines, both tightened their expressions, their Qi surging as they prepared to leap into the arena to help.

"No need."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's voice rang out again, still just two faint words, yet carrying an absolute confidence that controlled the overall situation and brooked no doubt, forcing them to stop their steps mid-stride.

Before the words had faded.

His figure had already moved like a ghost.

Amidst the space-tearing fiery claws of Burning Heaven's fire Dragon, within the terrifying roar of Lei Potian's lightning net shaking the earth, and in the grim, cold light of Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's sword net cutting through light and shadow...

That figure in black robes moved.

He did not move fast, even giving people the illusion of strolling leisurely, as if he were not in the midst of a deadly siege by three Prodigies, but admiring flowers and the moon in his own courtyard.

Yet, every subtle movement was perfect to the finest detail—at the most critical, life-and-death moment, he brushed past the destructive attacks that were enough to make a Nascent Soul Cultivator drink hatred.

The mysterious black and white Qi flowing around him changed infinitely, interpreting the ultimate truth of Yin and Yang life and death:

At times, the black and white Qi intertwined, transforming into a seemingly illusory yet indestructible Chaos barrier, standing silently before him.

Burning Heaven's violent flames, capable of burning mountains and boiling seas, lunged at him, only to be like a clay ox entering the sea, quietly swallowed and decomposed by the Chaos barrier, ultimately annihilating into nothingness—not even stirring a ripple.

At times, the black and white Qi separated, transforming into thousands of strands of tough, long, yet pervasive mysterious Qi threads, wrapping like a spider web around Lei Potian's pair of mountain-splitting, unstoppable lightning heavy fists.

The overwhelming, irresistible giant force slammed into these layers of Qi threads, only to be quietly guided, decomposed, and dissipated—as if punching into empty air, possessing infinite power but nowhere to unleash it, leaving Lei Potian so stifled he almost vomited blood.

At times, it gathered again, transforming into an invisible, intangible, yet mysterious spiritual shear that seemed capable of cutting through the Law of heaven and earth, facing Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's seemingly airtight, stern, and dense sword net, with just a gentle snip and cut.

"Sshla—"

A slight tearing sound that pierced straight into the Divine Soul rang out.

The exquisite, all-sealing net of swords was like a marionette with its core strings cut, its momentum instantly disordered and disintegrated, transforming into a sky full of chaotic, cold sword light that scattered and drifted away.

His movements appeared relaxed and calm, without a trace of worldly aura, yet he could always avoid the deadly strike at the most unexpected moment, from the most incredible angle.

Every seemingly casual raising of his hand, flick of his sleeve, or pointing of his finger accurately tapped the most fragile and vulnerable "nodes" and "weak points of Qi flow" in the three's joint offensive.

It was as if a chess master, sitting high in the Nine Heavens and detached from the world, had long since seen through all the changes on the chessboard and deduced thousands of trajectories.

No matter how sharp or devious your chess moves were, in his eyes, they were nothing more than a child's play.

Taking the violent siege and exquisite coordination of three top Prodigies—

In these gestures and light, breezy movements, he played them completely in the palm of his hand!

The Eternal Graveyard, with those piles of broken steles and remains; the Martial Arts Arena, with its cracked and mottled stone floor—at this moment, they seemed to be completely frozen by an invisible chill, falling into a deathly silence.

Even the gloomy wind that had blown since ancient times seemed to have its throat choked by an invisible giant hand, the wailing sound stopping abruptly.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed as if only those three world-destroying forces remained, dancing wildly, hissing, and colliding in the Void Realm—

The crimson flames rising around Burning Heaven had become so intense they turned white, like a furious evil fire Dragon roaring madly!

Every inch of rising flame was "sizzling," burning and gnawing at the surrounding air, emitting a terrifying high temperature that scorched the Divine Soul—as if it wanted to melt this world into a pool of boiling, churning lava.

The purple lightning wrapped around Lei Potian's arms had become as thick as a Dragon, like countless violent wild snakes dancing and hissing!

His muscles were bulging, his veins popping out like earthworms, and every punch triggered a resonance of lightning in the dark clouds of the sky—the rumbling sound shook the gravel on the ground beneath his feet, making it tremble and jump incessantly! The majestic celestial might was enough to make one's heart and gallbladder split!

The cold sword radiance drawn by the long sword in Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's hand had intertwined into a forest of deathly light.

Where the sword wind passed, the moisture in the air was instantly frozen, condensing into countless tiny, crystalline ice crystals that drifted down!

The bone-chilling Sword Intent, capable of freezing the Soul, layered upon layer—immersed the entire battle space in an absolute cold where all things were withered and life was severed!

Any one of these three offensives, if taken individually, would be enough to make an ordinary Early Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator flustered, or even cause their Physical Body to disintegrate and their Divine Soul to be severely damaged!

But at this moment, that figure in black robes, situated at the very center of these three storms of destruction and bearing all the pressure...

Was like an eternal reef standing unmoved amidst raging waves, or an illusory ghost moving freely within raging flames.

His steps were so slow it was as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard, the hem of his dark robes brushing across the broken stones on the ground without gathering a speck of dust.

Yet, as his figure moved, he always managed to avoid every inch of incoming deadly killing intent with a precision of a hair's breadth!

The fiery Dragon claws grazed past the hem of his clothes, the lightning snakes exploded against his cheek, and the cold sword edge swept past his hair...

It was extremely perilous, yet extremely calm.

Fast and slow, movement and stillness, attack and defense—intertwined on him into a strange rhythm that was heart-palpitating and incomprehensible.

"Roar!!!"

Unable to win after a long attack, Burning Heaven was completely enraged, letting out a hiss that did not sound like a human, madly driving his secret technique!

The hideous red fire Dragon head suddenly expanded again, its fangs grim, its Dragon mouth wide open—the dripping crimson fire beads actually eroded the hard ground below into bottomless, charred holes with melted edges!

The extremely hot Dragon breath, carrying a heat wave that could melt gold and erode bones, and burn everything to extinction, had lunged to the front of Xuanyuan Zhanxian's face!

Just at this critical moment!

The black and white long sword in Xuanyuan Zhanxian's hand, which had never been unsheathed, was merely lifted slightly by an inch.

The sword was not unsheathed; he only used the tip of the ancient scabbard to point at the void three inches in front of the roaring fire Dragon's forehead—

A gentle tap.

The movement was as gentle as lovers' play.

"Pop—"

A slight, yet extremely crisp sound, like high-quality jade chimes shattering, or ice crystals blooming, suddenly spread in all directions.

This sound was not loud, but it strangely overwhelmed the roaring flames and rumbling thunder, clearly entering everyone's ears and piercing straight into the depths of their Divine Souls!

The roaring, hideous, and monstrously powerful crimson fire Dragon seemed to have its throat choked by an invisible giant hand in an instant—the violently churning flames suddenly solidified!

The blindingly intense crimson light on its body quickly dimmed and extinguished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The next instant—

"Boom!!!"

The terrifying flames that had originally lunged at Xuanyuan Zhanxian seemed to have encountered their natural nemesis and sovereign, letting out a harsh wail, and suddenly rolled back—with a momentum several times fiercer than when they had gone, turning back to devour their master!

Fentian's pupils constricted sharply. In his haste, he could only wave his sleeves, setting up layers of flame barriers before him to block the attack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The recoiling flames slammed fiercely into the barriers, bursting into a sky full of scattered fire. The flickering flames around him illuminated his face, which had turned paper-white—for the first time, emotions of shock, fury, and even a trace of horror appeared in his eyes!

He had never imagined that his Burning Heaven Purple Flames, which he had cultivated for many years and which had always been invincible, would be forced back and backfired by his opponent so casually, almost like child's play!

Almost at the very same instant the red flames recoiled!

"Die for me!!!"

Lei Potian seized this fleeting opportunity. His heavy fist, charged for a long time, carried the power of ten thousand jun of thunder, enough to crumble mountains and split the earth, as it crashed down from above Xuanyuan Zhanxian's head!

Purple lightning burst forth, and the air was filled with a scorched scent—even the space itself was smashed into spiderweb-like cracks by this violent punch!

This punch condensed his lifelong cultivation of the Dao of Thunder; it was fast, fierce, and ruthless!

It was determined to kill with a single blow!

However, facing this terrifying punch from above that felt like divine retribution, Xuanyuan Zhanxian did not even twitch an eyebrow.

He merely waved his hand casually in a backhand motion, brushing upwards.

His black robes billowed like flowing clouds, and the black and white Qi flowed naturally. In an instant, a black and white Taiji vortex, no larger than a palm but slowly rotating and incomparably profound, condensed above his palm.

"Hum—!"

Lei Potian's fists, wrapped in destructive thunder and capable of shattering small hills, slammed fiercely into that tiny Taiji vortex.

There was no earth-shattering roar as expected, nor was there the impact of an energy explosion.

Lei Potian only felt that his violent and peerless fist force seemed to have smashed into a boundless, incredibly viscous swamp!

A strange, yin-soft, lingering, yet irresistible force, like thousands of flexible threads, wrapped layer by layer around his arms and his thunder hammers.

Not only did his terrifying forward momentum come to an abrupt halt, but that force also pulled his sturdy body, causing him to stumble backward involuntarily!

"Step! Step! Step!"

He retreated three steps in a row, each step leaving deep, cracked footprints on the hard stone floor, with stone chips flying everywhere.

The webbing between his thumb and index finger had already split open, and blood mixed with tiny purple electric arcs sprayed out.

He widened his eyes, which were as large as copper bells, staring fixedly at his slightly trembling fists, then suddenly looked up at the black-clad figure ahead who remained calm and composed—his face was filled with unprecedented shock, confusion, and a trace of... collapse.

His Dao of Thunder, which he had cultivated for over a decade, prided himself on, and which was peerlessly fierce—this punch, delivered with all his might and without reservation... could it actually not even withstand the palm that the other party had brushed out so casually?!

And it was even casually neutralized and pushed back by him?!

Meanwhile, Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's long-prepared sword net had descended completely, like the moonlight from the Nine Heavens pouring down or the Milky Way overturning!

The inescapable net woven from thousands of cold sword radiances locked onto every possible direction for Xuanyuan Zhanxian to dodge—the bone-chilling sword wind swept past, causing even the edges of the folds in Xuanyuan Zhanxian's black robes to condense into a layer of fine frost patterns.

This sword strike sealed the heavens and locked the earth, leaving absolutely no way to retreat!

However, just as this seemingly fatal sword net touched within three feet of Xuanyuan Zhanxian—a sudden change occurred!

This ultimate, bone-chilling Sword Intent that froze everything and sealed everything, this exquisite and all-encompassing net of sword light—actually began to silently melt and disintegrate, like ice and snow under the warm spring sun, with Xuanyuan Zhanxian at the center!

It was not shattered by violence, but rather, as if it had encountered a higher-level power rule, it collapsed and dissipated on its own!

Xuanyuan Zhanxian finally turned his gaze slightly, landing on the face of Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan, whose expression had changed abruptly.

He said nothing, simply flicking his finger against the spine of the crystal-clear, ice-blue longsword that had already pierced to his front—a light flick.

The movement was so casual, as if he were brushing dew off a flower petal.

"Ding—!"

A sword chime, incomparably clear, melodious, and pleasant to the ear, yet seemingly capable of cleansing the Divine Soul and scattering evil spirits, suddenly rang out across the world!

Accompanied by the sword chime, a tiny, extremely condensed, black-and-white Sword Qi, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, hit the center of the spine of Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's longsword with absolute precision.

Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's body shook violently!

He only felt a strange and peerless force, an interweaving of Yin and Yang, flow along the sword blade, through the hilt, and like two cold venomous snakes, instantly dart into the Meridians of his arm!

One force was extremely Yin and cold, freezing to the bone marrow, causing the Bloodline and Meridians of his entire arm to instantly stagnate, almost losing all sensation; the other force was extremely Yang and rigid, scorching like lava, frantically burning his Meridians and bringing tearing pain!

Ice and fire intertwined, Yin and Yang were in Chaos!

This strange power instantly crushed his exquisite sword momentum and caused his entire arm holding the sword to go numb with severe pain—he could no longer hold the longsword.

"Ugh—!" He let out a muffled groan, the taste of sweetness rising in his throat. His body, as if struck by a heavy blow, flew backward uncontrollably. He barely managed to twist his body in the air, stumbled as he landed, and then took more than ten steps back with "step, step, step" before using his sword to support himself and barely stabilizing his figure.

When he raised his head, that stunningly beautiful face, usually as cold as snow and calm as water, was now pale as paper, and a trace of crimson blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

And within those eyes, usually as cold as a deep pool, there was no longer a shred of composure or coldness—only unprecedented horror, shock, and a trace of... fear that he himself was unwilling to admit.

In the blink of an eye! Fentian's world-burning fire dragon was pushed back by a single finger, the flames rebounding! Lei Potian's mountain-collapsing thunder fist was brushed away by a single palm, stumbling backward! Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's fatal sword net was broken by a single finger, spitting blood and flying back!

Three terrifying offensives, capable of shocking all directions and striking fear into the hearts of peer Prodigies—were actually neutralized and dissipated by Xuanyuan Zhanxian in the midst of casual conversation, relying only on an unsheathed longsword, a pair of bare palms, and that unfathomable movement technique!

His movements were as smooth as flowing clouds and water, calm and unhurried. It was as if this life-and-death duel, which appeared thrilling and perilous to outsiders, was nothing more than an ordinary routine he had practiced a thousand times—so relaxed and effortless that it made all onlookers feel suffocated, feeling a kind of powerlessness and despair that seeped into their very bones.

"You..." Xuanyuan Zhanxian slowly withdrew his finger, his gaze sweeping calmly over the three people whose faces were livid and whose breathing was chaotic. His voice still held no emotion, yet it was more piercing to the heart and lungs, crushing their dignity, than the most biting sarcasm in the world: "...Is that all you have?"

These words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing fiercely onto the faces and hearts of Fentian, Lei Potian, and Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan!

It burned their cheeks until they turned blood-red, their breathing suddenly became chaotic, and their chests heaved violently—almost to the point of bursting!

Who were they?! They were the peerless geniuses of Burning Heaven Valley, rarely seen in a hundred years, upon whom the Valley Master placed high hopes! They were the heirs of the Lei family, to whom all resources were poured and who were destined to lead the clan in the future! They were the direct-line Sword Disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, who were taught everything and viewed as candidates for the next Pavilion Master!

They were the favored sons of heaven, bearing endless glory, looked up to by thousands of Cultivators, advancing triumphantly among their peers, having never tasted defeat! They were the protagonists of countless legends and myths!

When had they ever received such contempt? When had they ever joined forces to fight an enemy, only to end up in such a disheveled state, almost as if they were being toyed with?!

"Xuanyuan Zhanxian! You... stop being arrogant!!!" Fentian was the first to let out a heaven-shaking roar filled with endless humiliation and rage! His eyes were blood-red, almost dripping blood, and he slammed his palms together in front of his chest!

"Hiss—!" The blood-red flames around his body suddenly began to change color—from crimson to dark red, and from dark red into a deep, gloomy, dark purple that seemed to devour light!

The moment the purple flames appeared, with Fentian as the center, the temperature within a radius of several dozen zhang began to climb crazily! The scattered broken monuments and ruins in the distance actually began to hiss, their surfaces softening, melting, and flowing out viscous stone liquid! The space twisted and fluctuated, rippling like water!

"Wrath of Burning Heaven, Purple Flames Descend! Burn for me!!!" He roared, his face twisted by pain and madness, recklessly driving his secret techniques, even beginning to burn the essence blood and Origin within his body!

The dark purple flames shot into the sky, turning into a purple pillar of fire connecting heaven and earth—the destructive fluctuations emanating from it made even the Nascent Soul Cultivators watching from afar change their expressions!

He would exhaust everything, even if his cultivation regressed, he would burn this man before him, who had brought him endless shame, into ashes!

"Descent of the Thunder God, assist me in slaying the evil!!!" Almost at the same time, Lei Potian also let out a wild roar like a dying beast! He suddenly spread his arms, roared at the sky, and the mysterious thunder patterns on his body seemed to come alive, blooming with a dazzling, blinding radiance!

The flowing purple thunder no longer dissipated, but rapidly condensed and took shape on his body—in the blink of an eye, it turned into a set of ancient, heavy, full-body thunder armor! The armor was surrounded by thunder light, runes flickered, and it emitted a palpitating ancient majesty!

"Rumble—!" He smashed his fists together, erupting with a terrifying thunderous roar ten times louder than before! This loud noise seemed to trigger the divine might of the heavens—high above, the dark clouds, which were already chaotic due to the fierce battle, began to gather and rotate crazily, forming a huge vortex of thunder!

Within the vortex, golden, silver, purple... various celestial thunders rolled like thunder dragons, emitting deafening roars! The majestic divine might firmly locked onto Xuanyuan Zhanxian below, and the aura of destruction filled the heavens and earth!