Deep in the desert, the bright moon hung in the sky. The vast sea of sand lay silent, broken only by the wind, which howled like a blade.
The two stood facing each other, a thousand zhang apart across the dunes.
The last trace of courtesy faded from Gu Yuan's face.
"Your Excellency Qing Di, please."
With those words, Gu Yuan said no more. The aura around him changed abruptly!
"BOOM—!!!"
An indescribably brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from within Gu Yuan!
The night sky above the endless desert was torn apart by sheer force. Golden light filled heaven and earth, as if daylight had returned!
The pressure of a late Nine-Star Dou Saint, standing at the true pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent, spread without restraint.
"Crack, crack..."
Centered on Gu Yuan, the space beneath his feet began to shatter inch by inch, like glass struck by an invisible hammer!
Black spatial fissures spread like a web, swallowing light and grains of sand. Then, under the immense power wielded by a Dou Saint, they continuously sealed and reformed, over and over, creating a terrifying zone of destruction.
The mere release of his pressure had already changed heaven and earth and shattered space!
A pressure as vast as a falling sea of stars descended upon Ning Chen in an instant.
The ordinary green robe he wore was pulled taut by an invisible force, whipping wildly as if it might turn to dust at any moment.
The sand beneath his feet silently collapsed into an enormous, bowl-shaped crater, the grains crushed into the finest powder.
Yet Ning Chen stood at the heart of the storm of pressure, as immovable as an ancient mountain.
His expression remained calm. Even the golden light filling the sky and the shattered space reflected in his clear eyes failed to stir the slightest ripple.
"What?!"
Gu Yuan's heart suddenly tightened.
Though he wasn't exerting his full power, his pressure was already no mere show.
Before him, the only difference between a Seven-Star Dou Saint and a Dou Zhe was that the former could self-destruct and die with dignity.
Below the Nine-Star Dou Saint realm, all were ants.
Yet this "Qing Di" hadn't even furrowed his brow!
He was indeed unfathomably deep!
The last trace of contempt in Gu Yuan's heart vanished completely, replaced by unprecedented solemnity.
This man was absolutely worthy of facing his full power, to test whether his title of "Emperor" was genuine!
"Your composure is impressive." Gu Yuan's deep voice rang across the golden world. "In that case, I shall show my respect with one of my clan's supreme Dou Techniques!"
He slowly raised both hands, his movements archaic and solemn.
Boundless golden light surged from the void and gathered in his palms. An ancient, noble, and domineering aura began to awaken.
"Di Yin Jue... five seals combined into one, Gu Di Yin!"
"Buzz—!"
A mighty hum resounded through heaven and earth!
Between Gu Yuan's hands, an immensely brilliant and intricate seal quickly took shape.
At its center, the faint image of an emperor appeared, his head seeming to touch the heavens and his feet to tread upon the Nine Netherworlds. His majesty was peerless!
The instant Gu Di Yin took shape, the vast desert fell utterly silent!
The wind stopped, the sand stilled, and even the sound of space shattering vanished.
Only that seal remained, the sole center of heaven and earth, absorbing all light, all sound, all existence!
"Go!"
Golden light blazed from Gu Yuan's eyes as he pressed both hands forward.
The "Gu Di Yin," powerful enough to kill an ordinary Dou Saint in an instant, transformed into a golden streak that pierced through space and time, slowly advancing toward Ning Chen.
It seemed slow because its path was clear, but in truth, it was both slow and fast, sealing off every direction. There was nowhere to dodge, nowhere to flee!
A deep, eternal trail of darkness spread toward Ning Chen, accompanied by terrifying fluctuations that made the earth tremble!
Ning Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart nearly stopped beating in that instant!
Damn it!
Even with the system, the pressure of a Nine-Star Dou Saint was so terrifying that he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
System... Don't let me down this time!
Ning Chen screamed inwardly, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.
But there was no way to retreat now, and he couldn't show fear!
If he lost his momentum, then even if the system worked, its effect would be greatly diminished.
He forcibly drew upon the Dou Qi within him, which was as insignificant as dust before this attack, and drove it into a frenzied circulation.
System! Crank the special effects up to the max!!!
Ning Chen roared inwardly, gritted his teeth, and released all his Dou Qi!
"Lotus blooms... in a single thought!"
BOOM!!!
In an instant, a surge of Dou Qi erupted, rivaling Gu Yuan's without the slightest disadvantage!
A green flame appeared from thin air in Ning Chen's palm.
At first, it was no bigger than a bean, its flickering light faint. Yet the moment it appeared, it drew Gu Yuan's suddenly transformed gaze!
The flame wasn't hot. Instead, it gave off a gentle, ancient feeling of life that would never cease.
It swelled in the wind and, in an instant, became a lifelike green lotus bud, shielding Ning Chen at its center.
The green lotus revolved slowly, its petals gradually unfurling as it emanated a unique aura of timelessness, as if it would endure forever!
"Is that... the Green Lotus Core Flame?" Gu Yuan's eyes widened, his expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
"No, that's not right... The Green Lotus Core Flame couldn't possibly possess such power! What kind of technique is this?!"
In the blink of an eye, the golden Gu Di Yin that had pierced through the void was already closing in.
At this critical moment, Ning Chen took a deep breath, exhaling a mouthful of stale air before abruptly opening his eyes.
At the depths of his eyes, blue-green divine flames burst forth like an erupting volcano.
He slowly raised his right arm and extended a long, slender finger toward the deadly imperial seal, now close at hand.
"Green Emperor Finger."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried the weight of a thousand jun.
"One finger..."
"Heaven Covering!"
The instant the word "Covering" fell—
The boundless night sky above them was suddenly filled by an indescribably enormous green phantom!
It stood tens of thousands of zhang tall, its head reaching the heavens and its feet planted in the void. Its features were indistinct, but its outline bore a faint resemblance to Ning Chen.
The phantom lowered its gaze, neither sorrowful nor joyful, like a deity looking down upon the mortal world. Then it extended a colossal finger that covered half the sky and slowly pressed it down.
It obscured the heavens for tens of thousands of li and hid the entire river of stars!
The instant the two forces collided, an unimaginable crash erupted!
"CRACK—RUMBLE!!!"
The void shattered inch by inch for a thousand li, like a mirror. Beneath it, the boundless sea of sand was swept by the shockwave as if an invisible divine hand had forcefully wiped across it!
Billions upon billions of tons of sand vanished in an instant, leaving behind a terrifying crater with a smooth, mirrorlike rim, over a hundred li across and so deep its bottom couldn't be seen!
Above, the dense clouds were torn apart and vaporized, revealing a deep-blue night sky so clear it seemed unnatural.
Yet that sky, too, was covered in web-like black spatial fissures, which remained for a long time without healing, as if the firmament itself had been shattered!
The mere shockwave had already changed heaven and earth, creating a scene like the end of the world!
"He actually... blocked it! And so... effortlessly?!"
Gu Yuan's heart shook. A thought he could hardly believe himself surged frantically through his mind:
"Could it be that he hasn't even used his full strength?!"
Before you continue