Great Battle Outside the City

Lei Gang's expression hardened as a massive battle axe appeared in his hand; he swung it to meet the sword qi.

The two attacks collided in midair, unleashing a deafening, earth-shaking boom.

Chen Zhengqing was knocked back by the powerful shockwave, while Lei Gang stood unmoved, hovering in the air.

Clearly, in this first exchange, Chen Zhengqing was at a disadvantage.

After all, Chen Zhengqing's Early Golden Core cultivation was still weaker than Lei Gang's Mid Golden Core.

Now, the two faced off again.

Lei Gang sneered, "You're no match for me. Why bother fighting?"

"The outcome's the same. You might as well just hand over Yang Lingtian!"

Chen Zhengqing's expression was grim, but there was no fear in his heart. He shot back, "Hmph, spare me the nonsense. Let's fight first, then talk!"

Lei Gang flew into a rage. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

In a flash, his form blurred into a bolt of lightning, lunging fiercely at Chen Zhengqing.

His battle axe traced an arc through the air, carrying a sharp Void Breaking sound as it cleaved toward Chen Zhengqing's head.

A cold resolve flickered in Chen Zhengqing's eyes. He flicked his Spirit Sword, meeting Lei Gang's battle axe.

Their weapons clashed again in midair, producing a piercing screech of metal.

Terrifying residual energy rampaged through the air, even ravaging the grass, flowers, and trees below.

Such was the horror of a battle between Golden Core experts!

Chen Zhengqing was knocked back several steps, while Lei Gang stood rooted like a mountain.

This round, too, Lei Gang held the upper hand.

Yet Chen Zhengqing wasn't discouraged; instead, a fiercer fighting spirit blazed in his eyes.

He gave Lei Gang a deep look, then took a sharp breath, his aura surging.

His Spirit Sword traced a half-circle in the air, its tip aimed at Lei Gang.

The sword coiled toward Lei Gang like a silver serpent.

Lei Gang's expression grew slightly more serious. He hadn't expected Chen Zhengqing's combat strength to be so formidable.

It far surpassed some Early Golden Core experts he'd encountered.

He'd planned to finish this quickly, but now things were getting troublesome.

Chen Zhengqing's Spirit Sword lashed out like streaks of lightning, hacking relentlessly at Lei Gang.

His sword qi grew fiercer, to the point where one could feel powerful arcs of electricity leaping through the air.

Lei Gang was forced into full defense, his battle axe carving arcs through the air to block Chen Zhengqing's attacks.

Just then, Chen Zhengqing suddenly spun, transforming into a whirlwind.

His Spirit Sword swept a half-circle through the air, then unleashed several slashes in an instant.

Each slash carried intense sword qi, striking at Lei Gang like lightning.

This was a martial skill. Chen Zhengqing knew his opponent was strong and had to resort to it from the start.

Faced with such overwhelming sword qi, Lei Gang remained unfazed, blocking it all.

Still, he was knocked back several meters.

Though he'd pushed Lei Gang back slightly, Chen Zhengqing's expression stayed grim.

He knew his opponent hadn't used a martial skill yet.

And even after using one himself, he could only match Lei Gang evenly.

"Not bad. You're strong—no wonder you dared to provoke me," Lei Gang said with mild surprise.

"But you're still just Early Golden Core. Your defeat is certain; I just need a little more time."

Though Chen Zhengqing's displayed strength caught him off guard, Lei Gang still held him in some contempt.

"How can a cultivator admit defeat? If we're to fight, let's fight to the fullest!" Chen Zhengqing refused to back down.

With that, he blurred into motion again, resuming the fierce battle with Lei Gang.

Now wielding his martial skill, every slash from Chen Zhengqing was overwhelmingly domineering, keeping Lei Gang on the back foot.

But so far, Lei Gang hadn't used a martial skill either.

Overall, the two seemed evenly matched.

The battle appeared to be reaching a fever pitch, each collision sending out terrifying shockwaves.

The powerful energy fluctuations even alerted several Golden Core experts within Tianchen City.

Nearby onlookers watched this rare spectacle from a distance.

After all, no battle this intense had occurred near Tianchen City in decades.

In a place like this, Golden Core experts stood at the pinnacle and rarely made a move.

High in the clouds above Tianchen City, Tang Deyou wore a nasty grin.

He muttered to himself, "The Great Elder's advice really worked."

"Spreading the news in other cities that Lei Gang's son knelt to the Chen Family's live-in son-in-law—Lei Gang couldn't sit still after all."

Lei Gang seemed to sense the eyes on him. To show his strength, he decided to finish Chen Zhengqing quickly.

"Sky Breaking Art!" Lei Gang bellowed, unleashing the strongest martial skill he knew.

In an instant, the wind surged and clouds churned, a wild gale raging.

A terrifying pressure spread out, his aura far fiercer than before.

The onlookers nearby felt as if a colossal weight were crashing down on them like Mount Tai.

Lei Gang's Battle Axe began gathering even greater power. His figure turned into a bolt of lightning, lunging straight at Chen Zhengqing.

The ground trembled faintly under that immense force, as if cheering for Lei Gang's ferocious assault.

Chen Zhengqing's face changed drastically. He hurriedly channeled all his strength, desperately fending off Lei Gang's relentless attacks.

In an instant, Chen Zhengqing was once again on the back foot, completely suppressed.

Even the distant Golden Core experts, sensing such violent energy, showed slight shifts in expression.

"Lei Gang is too strong. Chen Zhengqing is no match."

"Still, for an Early Golden Core expert to hold his own this long against Lei Gang is no small feat."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After several minutes of fierce battle, Chen Zhengqing finally couldn't hold out. He was violently knocked to the ground.

With a heavy thud, Chen Zhengqing crashed into the earth like a meteor, forming a massive crater.

Now coughing up blood, his face pale, he was clearly badly injured.

Liu Yingxue, Chen Yiyue, and Yang Lingtian, watching from a hidden spot, felt their hearts tighten as they saw Chen Zhengqing struck down.

Liu Yingxue's face grew even more anxious. She began complaining to Yang Lingtian, "This is all your fault, Lingtian."

"If you'd known when to stop and hadn't made Lei Daben kneel, none of this would have happened."

Yang Lingtian had nothing to say. If he could, he would have fought for his Foster Father himself.

But his strength against a Golden Core expert was far too insignificant.

This made him realize even more deeply that this was a world where the strong ruled, and his desire to grow stronger burned even fiercer.

For now, though, he had to figure out a way to break the deadlock. He didn't want his Foster Father to die here.

That would weigh on his conscience forever.

Everyone turned their gaze to where Chen Zhengqing had fallen, shaking their heads.

"He's lost. Chen Zhengqing is completely defeated!"

"Hope he admits defeat himself. If he keeps fighting, his life might end here."

"The other Golden Core experts in Tianchen City don't seem inclined to help either. Looks like they all want the Chen Family to fall!"

Lei Gang, still hovering in midair, wore a smug smile.

He shouted down at Chen Zhengqing in the crater, "Chen Zhengqing, now you see the gap between us, don't you?"

"Just give up, and hand over Yang Lingtian!"

But the reply came as a fierce "Dream on!"

Suddenly, a powerful Sword Qi shot skyward, a dazzling, brilliant light blasting from Chen Zhengqing's crater straight into the heavens.

Then Chen Zhengqing soared back into the air with the sword's radiance, once again facing off against Wu Gang.

Lei Gang was genuinely startled. Then he looked at the Spirit Sword in Chen Zhengqing's hand.

Feeling the earth-shaking Sword Qi radiating from it, he exclaimed, "A Mid-grade Spirit Artifact—it's actually a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact!"

The other watching Golden Core experts were also shaken, their expressions uncertain as their eyes locked onto the distant battlefield.

A Mid-grade Spirit Artifact was a rare treasure even for them.

They never expected Chen Zhengqing to have one!

A Mid-grade Spirit Artifact could only be forged by a second-tier artificer, and the materials required were extremely rare.

No city within a thousand li had ever produced a second-tier artificer, making Mid-grade Spirit Artifacts exceedingly uncommon.

This Mid-grade Spirit Sword was one of Chen Zhengqing's trump cards, a gift from his benefactor—Yang Lingtian's father—years ago.

Now, trapped in such a dire situation, he had no choice but to reveal it.

After his initial shock, Lei Gang quickly calmed down, his tone still dismissive.

"Hmph, so this is your ace in the hole. No wonder you still had that nerve."

"But even with a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact, you still can't defeat me."

"The gap between us isn't something one Mid-grade Spirit Artifact of yours can bridge."

Chen Zhengqing said nothing, instead quietly gathering his strength.

In an instant, his aura surged violently, a torrent of power erupting from his body.

At the same time, he gripped the Mid-grade Spirit Sword tightly, its tip trembling as waves of powerful Sword Qi burst forth from him.

Then his figure vanished from where he stood, driving the Mid-grade Spirit Sword as he executed a martial technique and charged at Lei Gang.

Lei Gang felt the Sword Qi, far stronger than before, and his expression tightened as he began to take the fight seriously.

He too channeled his full power, gripping his Low-grade Spirit Artifact Battle Axe and meeting Chen Zhengqing's attack head-on.

The two figures clashed once more, the terrifying residual energy roaring like a thunderclap, deafening to the ears.

Their attacks seemed filled with destructive force, as if they would tear the very world apart, shaking all who witnessed it.

As the two figures wove through the air, their storm-like blows collided relentlessly.

The Onlookers nearby scrambled back, afraid of being caught in the dreadful shockwaves.

Their faces were full of shock—never had they seen such a fearsome battle.

"Heavens, how did Chen Zhengqing suddenly get so strong?"

"Looks like the sword in his hand is different," a Foundation Establishment expert exclaimed.

Many others shared his confusion, unable to recognize that the Spirit Sword in Chen Zhengqing's hand was a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact.

They lacked the insight of a Golden Core expert; even Low-grade Spirit Artifacts were rare to them, let alone a Mid-grade one.

From midair, the terrifying shockwaves of battle continued to roll out, the two locked in a deadlock.

With the boost of the Mid-grade Spirit Sword, Chen Zhengqing's strength surged, and he no longer fell into a disadvantage.

Though he didn't gain the upper hand either.

"Chen Zhengqing, stop your pointless resistance. You can't hold out much longer," Lei Gang bellowed.