284: Chapter 284 Sneak Attack, Another Sneak Attack

["Fuck, why hasn't the Old Ancestor made a move yet? If he doesn't act soon, I'm going to be beaten to death!"]

[The Emperor of Dayong was currently driving his Imperial Path Dharma Idol. The initial imperial majesty and conviction of victory had long since vanished from his heart, replaced by a growing sense of terror, frustration, and a faint, barely perceptible trace of regret.]

[On the surface, he remained aggressive and composed in his command, but internally, he was already roaring in a frenzy.]

[Because originally, according to his initial plan, he had absolutely no intention of personally joining a melee of this level.]

[After all, as the supreme leader of the Imperial Dynasty, the Lord of Nine-Five, and a body of ten thousand gold, he should have just activated the national protection Formation, mobilized the national fortune, and commanded the experts under his banner to surround and suppress the target.]

[To personally take the field? If something went wrong and he was punched to death by this mysterious brute from who-knows-where, it would shake the very foundations of the state. The risk was simply too high!]

[However, a Deva Old Ancestor of the imperial family who had awakened from slumber had sent a secret transmission to the Emperor of Dayong before the Formation was activated: "Your Majesty may personally grace the battlefield to display imperial might. I will choose the right moment to strike and will surely suppress this scoundrel."]

[When the Emperor of Dayong heard this, he thought: With a Deva personally taking action, and under the premise of having the national protection Formation active, isn't this a guaranteed win?]

[With the Old Ancestor backing him up, he only needed to attract attention at the front. Not only could he demonstrate imperial valor, but he could also gain prestige. Why not?]

[So, for the sake of prestige, the Emperor of Dayong joined the fray. He even specifically donned the Nine Dragon Battle Armor.]

[This set of armor was a divine weapon left behind by the Founding Great Progenitor, forged from the scales of nine flood dragons. Its defensive power was staggering; even a full-strength strike from an ordinary Deva would find it hard to break through.]

[He knew you were strong, but he never expected you to be this strong!]

[A full eighteen experts in the Dharma Idol Realm! Among them, ten were at the Peak of the Dharma Idol Realm.]

[Not to mention, everyone's combat power had skyrocketed under the blessing of the national fortune.]

[A siege of this scale would have been enough to kill a Deva, yet it could do nothing to you. There was even the risk of them being counter-killed.]

[The Emperor of Dayong couldn't understand it. The world had only just begun to recover. Even the Old Ancestor of their imperial family had to rely on the protection of the national fortune to strike with full force; otherwise, they would invite the backlash of the Heavenly Dao.]

[Yet you, a powerhouse clearly at the Deva level, could strike so recklessly without showing the slightest sign of backlash.]

[When did such a badass person appear within the borders of Great Yong Dynasty?]

["Oho, you actually dare to have a Divided Soul at a time like this? It seems I really haven't hit you hard enough."]

[Thus, you decided to give the Emperor of Dayong a heavy blow.]

[You gathered power in your right fist. The originally blazing and dazzling golden light on your knuckles suddenly collapsed inward, as if even light itself was being swallowed, transforming into a dark, profound black hole vortex that seemed capable of devouring all things.]

[All the power was compressed to the extreme. Even the surrounding space distorted slightly, emitting low groans under the unbearable weight.]

[In the next instant, the fist boomed out!]

[This punch was no longer like the previous wide-sweeping, heavy, and domineering strikes that relied on brute force. Instead, it condensed infinite strength into a single point. Within the Fist Intent was a sharp edge that could penetrate all Laws and an explosive momentum that could collapse the universe.]

[Everywhere the fist wind passed, the Void Realm seemed to be plowed into a pitch-black trench that failed to close for a long time.]

["Crack—Boom!!!"]

[As you threw the punch, a series of crisp sounds like shattering glass first rang out. That was the sound of the internal structure of the Imperial Path Dharma Idol being violently torn apart and its dao patterns snapping.]

[Immediately after, a deafening explosion swept across heaven and earth! Dazzling golden light erupted from the point where the fist met the sword, like a sun exploding.]

[That giant golden sword, symbolizing supreme imperial power and condensing the force of the national fortune, bore the brunt of the impact. It snapped inch by inch, turning into a sky full of firefly-like points of light that were scattered by the wild winds.]

[The fist force did not weaken at all. Instead, it was unstoppable, spreading up along the arm of the Dharma Idol.]

[Wherever it passed, the Dharma Idol was like porcelain being struck, cracking into countless spiderweb-like fissures, with brilliant but broken flows of light seeping from the cracks.]

[Finally, the fist force completely penetrated into the core of the Dharma Idol's chest and exploded!]

[Under this serious punch of yours, the Emperor of Dayong's Imperial Path Dharma Idol was like a sandcastle meeting the tide—completely disintegrating and annihilating, turning into a rain of light that fell from the sky.]

[The moment the Dharma Idol shattered, the Emperor of Dayong's physical body felt as if it had been struck by lightning. His face turned deathly pale, a mouthful of pale golden blood sprayed out, and his aura instantly withered.]

[But your movements didn't stop for a second. Your figure followed like a shadow, and you threw another punch!]

[This punch was so fast it transcended time perception, landing squarely on the chest of the Emperor of Dayong's physical body.]

[Under this strike, the Emperor of Dayong instantly turned into a blurred stream of light, shooting backward like a falling star, crashing through three indestructible palaces engraved with Formation patterns.]

[Bricks and stones flew, pillars snapped, and he was finally embedded deep into the dark iron rock wall of the fourth palace, creating a deep human-shaped crater.]

[The Nine Dragon Battle Armor on his body, which was enough to withstand a full-strength blow from the Heaven-Man Realm, shattered inch by inch, its dragon patterns dimming and vanishing.]

[Half of his body was crushed by the fist force, his aura as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.]

[Even though the national fortune was continuously surging in an attempt to heal him, the residual destructive power in that fist force was like maggots in his bones, constantly eroding his life force, making it impossible for him to recover his combat strength in a short time.]

[At this point, this emperor who ruled Dayong and looked down upon the world completely lost his ability to fight and retreated from the battlefield in dejection.]

[And at the very moment you sent the Emperor of Dayong flying—a sudden change occurred!]

[A streak of golden Sword Intent, condensed to the extreme and so brilliant it was beyond words, seemed to have been lurking in the depths of the Void Realm for a long time, merging with the pulse of heaven and earth. Only now did it suddenly reveal its fangs!]

[It precisely caught that subtle gap of a ten-thousandth of a second when your old strength was exhausted and new strength had yet to be born. It sliced through space without warning, piercing straight toward your vitals!]

[This sword appeared so abruptly yet so naturally, as if it were originally a part of the Law of heaven and earth, merely descending now as a matter of course.]

[There was no grand momentum, no heaven-shaking pressure, only an ultimate 'speed' and 'sharpness'! It was faster than the operation of thought and so sharp it seemed capable of slicing through everything.]

[In the face of this sword light, space was silently torn apart like thin paper, leaving a mirror-smooth black crack that did not dissipate for a long time.]

["Holy crap, again? Is there no martial arts spirit at all? Nothing but sneak attacks."]

[This thought flashed through your mind, even carrying a hint of helpless banter.]

[From Wang Xuanfu's sudden attack at the beginning to the endless dirty tricks and hidden moves during the siege by the eighteen Dharma Idols just now.]

[The experts of the Great Yong Dynasty seemed to have a special fondness for 'sneak attacks' and 'taking advantage of openings.' It was as if they had carved the words 'all is fair in war' into their very bones, vastly different from those traditional Martial Artists who valued fair confrontation and grand poise.]

[But complaints aside, your body and spiritual senses made the most intense reaction in the first instance!]

[Because the sense of threat brought by this sword was far beyond what Wang Xuanfu's previous strike could compare to!]

[The Dao Rhyme of the Unity of Heaven and Man contained in the Sword Intent was bone-chillingly cold, locking down the space.]

[Wang Xuanfu was already a standout among those at the Peak of the Dharma Idol Realm. For an existence to be this much stronger than him, the answer to their identity was already obvious—a Martial Artist of the Heaven-Man Realm!]

["I really didn't expect that at this point in time, the imperial family would actually have a Deva awaken. And they were so patient, only launching a strike when the emperor was in mortal danger... they certainly know how to endure."]

[Your thoughts turned like lightning. You knew it was too late to dodge—the sword light was too fast and had locked down the surrounding space. But you... had never even thought of dodging!]

[The golden light around your body madly retracted and compressed, as if refining ten thousand feet of radiance into a tiny space. On the surface of your Indestructible Vajra body, it formed an extremely dense, dark-golden glazed light membrane.]

[Crystal clear yet indestructible, your defense reached an unprecedented Peak at this moment.]

["Clang—!"]

[The golden sword light precisely struck the center of your back, erupting with a clear, loud ring like the collision of divine weapons. Sparks flew, and ripples of space vibrated outward.]

[Under your full-strength defense, this sneak attack sword light, which was enough to instantly kill an ordinary Deva, failed to pierce that layer of dark-golden glazed light membrane, leaving only a shallow white mark on the surface.]