Nothing in the world stood higher than heaven—lofty and unfathomable, reigning above all living things.
And the earth represented the other extreme: boundlessly thick, with no one ever able to probe where its limits lay.
Heaven stood above, earth below. Once the vault of heaven pressed down upon the land, it would herald apocalyptic destruction, and the world would return to chaos.
This was the terrifying traversal spoken of in legend: "Striking Heaven Against Earth."
After advancing to the Earth Sect, Zhou You wielded the Half-Sage Yin Dao for the first time. Even he trembled at the power it unleashed.
Before his eyes, he vaguely saw an illusion of the heavens crashing down upon the earth, all things ground into dust.
This was the most terrifying ultimate move he could presently unleash. Even within the heavily guarded Imperial Palace of Heaven Worship, it stirred a dreadful upheaval.
Outside, this one strike could have cleaved apart a medium-sized city.
"..."
In truth, Zhou You had already touched upon the core power of this blade—the threshold of Half-Sage power.
His target was a terrifying being suspected of being the Phantom Empress. No amount of caution against her was excessive. He had to throw out every trump card at once, or regret would come too late.
"Heh!"
"Empress" remained calm. That face, utterly identical to Liu Jingguo's, still wore the same smile.
As the blade light bore down upon her and the surrounding space was dyed into hostile territory by killing intent, she maintained her dignified bearing without the slightest trace of panic.
The Half-Sage Yin Dao cut through her body as easily as tofu, then plunged heavily into the ground, sending sparks flying from the hard bricks and stone like spinning wheels.
"I returned your treasured blade to you, only for you