Battle of the Two Gods

"Lord Huosi, I apologize for failing to welcome you properly upon your arrival in my Haide Province. Please forgive my transgression."

Ryan's expression was grim as he stared fixedly at the three people before him, yet he still braced himself and bowed to Huosi.

On the Qingya Continent, god-level powerhouses were the true masters of the land. Even as a subordinate of the god-level powerhouse Lingester, he was expected to maintain basic respect when facing other gods.

Even though Huosi had brought people to storm his family estate, he could only endure it, for Huosi was a god, while he was merely a Saint-level.

"Ryan, the people of your family are quite arrogant, aren't they? They don't even hold me in their eyes anymore."

Huosi did not look directly at Ryan, his tone flat and indifferent.

"Lord Huosi, as a noble god-level powerhouse, how could our family dare to disregard you? If you come here without any reason, I fear Lord Lingester will not approve."

Ryan's face darkened, leaving him no choice but to invoke Lingester's name as a shield.

"You don't need to use Lingester to pressure me. Since I have come today, I do not care about Lingester's thoughts!"

Huosi glanced at Ryan, showing absolutely no regard for Lingester.

"Lord Huosi, may I ask how our family has offended you? If this is merely about the matter with Adkins, that should have been settled long ago, as the other lords are well aware."

Ryan brought up the other god-level powerhouses directly, attempting to use the god-level pact to pressure Huosi.

"Ryan, who do you think you are, daring to question Lord Huosi!"

This time, Huosi ignored him, and Adkins shouted in anger.

In his eyes, someone like Ryan was not worthy of questioning his lord; he deserved to die.

"Adkins, you don't think that just because you've broken through to the Saint-level you can deal with me, do you? How naive!"

Ryan retorted directly at Adkins while quietly observing Huosi's expression.

"Oh? By the sound of it, you seem to think you are quite strong. Would you like me to shatter your illusions?"

Adkins spoke with a playful tone.

"Hmph! You, of all people, are not worthy of crossing blades with me!"

Ryan stared at Adkins with a gloomy expression. As a veteran Saint-level, he had always looked down on young, arrogant fellows like Adkins.

Given his personality, if he had encountered Adkins elsewhere, he likely would have already attacked.

As for now, he could only cautiously observe Huosi's expression and wait for Lingester to arrive.

The commotion here was significant, and he believed that Lord Lingester would certainly come to his rescue.

"Looking at you, it seems you are considering how to stall for time, waiting for Lingester to come and save you?"

Huosi glanced at Ryan indifferently and spoke casually.

"You don't need to deliberately stall for time. I have already notified Lingester. This matter today will naturally reach a conclusion. I am not one to bully the weak, so Adkins, go and do what you must."

Huosi did not even look at Ryan, speaking directly to Adkins instead.

"Yes, Lord Huosi!"

Adkins responded respectfully, then turned his calm gaze toward Ryan.

"He notified Lord Lingester? Could it be that Lord Huosi intends to fight Lord Lingester!"

Ryan's eyes widened in an instant. It had been many years since god-level powerhouses had clashed.

Moreover, judging by Huosi's stance, it seemed this matter would not end easily today. Could it be that he wanted a life-or-death battle with Lord Lingester?

At this moment, Ryan opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he could only look at Adkins in silence as the battle qi within his body surged wildly, and a purple long spear appeared directly in his hand.

Whatever Huosi intended to do, it was not something he could interfere with. All he could do now was fight Adkins.

"Ryan, today, pay back the debt you owe!"

Adkins's eyes flashed, and a dagger emitting a golden light appeared in his hand.

"Swish!"

The next moment, both their figures vanished simultaneously. Aside from Bernas and Huosi, no one else had reacted in time.

A brat who only broke through two years ago dares to strike at me!

Ryan cursed inwardly, his movements not slowing in the slightest.

The purple spear tip, crackling with flickering lightning, thrust toward Adkins's head with extreme speed.

However, facing this seemingly powerful attack, Adkins did not even blink, simply raising his dagger to block it casually.

"Bang!"

The purple energy instantly collided with a golden radiance, then became stuck, unable to advance even an inch.

"How is this possible!"

Ryan was somewhat incredulous. To defeat his opponent as quickly as possible, he had held nothing back and had used his ultimate technique.

His ultimate technique should not have been blocked so easily, even by another mid-stage Saint-level, unless...

"You are at the peak of the Saint-level?"

Ryan spoke in disbelief. Although his tone was questioning, he was certain of it in his heart.

In the Saint Realm, only someone at the peak of the Saint Realm could easily catch that strike of his.

"This guy, how could he be so strong!"

Ryan's expression changed drastically; he pulled out his long spear and retreated rapidly.

At this moment, he no longer wanted to fight; he only wanted to wait for Lord Lingester to come and uphold justice.

As long as the Lord arrived, Adkins would not be able to continue his assault.

"Truly too weak."

Adkins did not answer Ryan directly, looking at him with a calm expression instead, before a flash of golden light erupted.

"Oh no!"

Ryan retreated desperately, barely dodging a fatal blow, but a severed arm fell from mid-air.

"Damn it!"

Ryan could not care about anything else and only accelerated his retreat; he had never imagined that a guy who had broken through to the Saint Realm less than two years ago, whom he thought was only at the initial Saint Realm, would actually be at the peak of the Saint Realm.

"Running? You won't be able to run today!"

Adkins transformed into a streak of golden light and charged directly toward Ryan.

"You!"

Ryan only had time to spit out a single word before he felt his throat being slashed.

In the final moment of his life, Ryan saw his own body, only the body was missing its head.

For a Saint Realm powerhouse, unless they possessed treasures like a Life Source Pearl, a fatal wound meant only one path: death.

"I finally did it."

Adkins put away his weapon, his hands trembling slightly, before he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Young Master, you did it."

Bernas grabbed Adkins by the shoulders, without needing many words.

As two people who had walked through life and death together for years, they were master and servant, as well as grandfather and grandson; only they could truly understand each other's feelings at this moment.

From the carefree days of youth, the drastic changes and endless hunts of his young adulthood, to being saved by the Lord in his middle age, he had now become a peak Saint Realm powerhouse and successfully taken his revenge.

The next second, Adkins felt his insights advance further, reaching the very limit of the Saint Realm.

It seems I must hurry to break through and become a god; only then can I help the Lord achieve victory in the battles to come.

Adkins steadied his emotions and thought silently to himself.

"Alright, you two step back."

A moment later, Huosi looked calmly toward the sky in the distance and spoke.

"Yes, my Lord."

Adkins and Bernas both realized something and retreated rapidly; they knew that the coming battle was no longer something the two of them could interfere with.

The next second, a fiery red stream of light stopped instantly in mid-air, and a man with crimson hair stared at Huosi, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"Huosi, what is the meaning of this!"

Lingester had not been this angry in a long time; it was the first time since his empire was established.

Today, he had been in secluded cultivation as usual when he suddenly received a divine sense transmission from Huosi, stating that the Ryan family had offended him and that he intended to wipe them out.

Lingester had exploded on the spot; Ryan was his old subordinate who had followed him for many years and rendered many meritorious services—how could he be killed just because someone said so?

Moreover, if the Ryan family were wiped out, where would that leave his face, and where would that leave the face of the empire?

"Isn't it obvious? I am simply going to wipe out the Ryan family."

Huosi replied in a flat tone.

"Do you not know that Ryan is my subordinate? By what right do you strike at him? What do you take me for?"

Lingester's hair ignited instantly as he questioned him in anger.

"See this for yourself."

Huosi calmly took out a tablet and started playing it directly.

"This is..."

The vision of a god-level powerhouse could see to extremely distant locations; Lingester naturally saw the video on the screen at once.

His expression shifted constantly, turning incredibly gloomy in an instant.

After a long while, he roughly understood the sequence of events and what the Ryan family had done.

"Even if the Ryan family did things they shouldn't have, you shouldn't have acted like this. You are giving me no face; you could have come to me, and I would certainly have made them apologize."

After thinking for a moment, Lingester still said in a deep voice.

"Give you face? Where would you get any face?" Huosi retorted, completely unconcerned.

"Huosi, I won't make things difficult for you; hand over those two Saint Realm individuals behind you, and we will call it even. Otherwise, you won't be leaving today."

Lingester said this while drawing a crimson longsword, signaling that if you do not agree, he would have no choice but to resort to force.

Although the Ryan family had committed the initial offense, Ryan was his old subordinate; if Huosi had demanded an apology, he certainly would have agreed.

However, Huosi had his subordinates kill them without his permission, and by only asking for those two individuals, he had already given Huosi plenty of face.

"Why bother? Isn't it better to stay alive?"

Huosi shook his head slightly, then cast his gaze toward the distance:

"Everyone, you must have all seen it. Although I, Huosi, do not go looking for trouble, I am not afraid of it either. Today, Lingester and I shall determine not only who is superior but also who lives and who dies. I am going to kill him; you shouldn't interfere, right?"

Ever since a moment ago, several divine senses had been probing the area; it was clear that other god-level powerhouses were watching.

After all, the Qingya Continent had not seen a battle between gods for many years, and once Huosi and Lingester began to fight, the others would certainly pay attention.

"Arrogant! Just based on you, you want to kill me!"

Lingester was instantly enraged. As a fire-attribute lower god, his temper was never good to begin with, and upon hearing Huosi talk about killing him, he immediately charged forward.

"You can try!"

Huosi spoke calmly, a layer of earthy-yellow armor instantly manifesting over his arms to block the red sword light directly.

The next moment, the crimson sword light split in mid-air, instantly transforming into dozens of beams that struck toward Huosi simultaneously.

Huosi simply watched this scene calmly, his interstellar armor activating instantly as he flew directly toward Lingester's main body, braving the attacks.

"You're courting death!"

Lingester was almost amused to the point of laughter. His opponent neither dodged nor used techniques to counter his attack, instead choosing to charge at him while tanking the damage with his body. Even if earth-attribute defense was relatively stronger, so what?

However, the next second, Lingester's eyes widened in shock as he saw his own attacks strike Huosi's body like sea spray, instantly dissipating without a trace.

Huosi continued charging straight at him, appearing completely unaffected.

"How is this possible?"

Before he could overthink it, Huosi's fist had already smashed toward him, and Lingester hurriedly raised his sword to defend.

"You know nothing of true power!"

Huosi's tone remained flat as he gripped the blade of the divine artifact with one hand.

"You bastard!"

Lingester exerted force, half in anger and half in fear, as the blade released streaks of red light that transformed into tentacles, coiling toward Huosi's body.

However, the moment the tentacles appeared, Huosi raised his other hand, and two light orbs shot out, instantly shattering all of them.

The blade of the divine artifact was held by Huosi, remaining completely motionless regardless of how much force Lingester exerted.

"Too fragile."

Huosi shook his head slightly, then exerted a sudden burst of strength with his right hand, snapping the sword in two.

"This, this, how is this possible?"

Lingester stared at this scene in a daze, unable to believe it.

This sword was a divine artifact he had obtained by chance when he was at the seventh rank, and it had accompanied him for many years without ever failing him.

Even when he fought against the divine beasts of the Dragon God Forest, this sword had remained unscathed.

"Run!"

Although he did not know why Huosi's strength had suddenly become so great, now was clearly not the time to investigate.

At this moment, Lingester could no longer care about anything; he only wanted to escape. As for face—what use was face if he lost his life?

However, the next second, Lingester was struck with sudden terror as he realized he could not move; his legs seemed to have been entangled by something.

"From the moment you appeared here, it was destined that you would not be able to escape."

Two earthy-yellow arms released from Huosi's body, gripping Lingester's legs tightly before dragging him back.

"No, don't, Huosi, I..."

Lingester shouted immediately, but he was interrupted before he could finish.

"The continent has been peaceful for too long; it is time to drop a bomb. Today, a god falls here!"

Huosi's voice remained calm, yet it traveled across the surroundings, reaching even those thousands of miles away.

This time, the voice was imbued with vast divine power, spreading outward until most of the people in the entire province heard it.

Although they did not know whose voice it was, they heard someone say that a god had fallen.

In the Lingester Empire, there was only one god: the empire's founding emperor, Lingester.