Frequent life-and-death battles were the best whetstones.
Over the past three hundred years, Lu Ming had never stopped practicing the Burning Universe Space-Splitting Slash.
Drawing on his deep foundations and his ever-deepening understanding and mastery of the Laws of Flame and Space in battle, he had finally cultivated this supreme secret art to the Fourth Layer!
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The Burning Universe Space-Splitting Slash at the Fourth Layer was worlds apart in power from when it had been at the First Layer!
The "Burning Space Power" within the blade light had begun to take shape. The fusion of flame and space had grown even more seamless. Every slash not only carried heat capable of incinerating all things but also the terrifying cutting force to tear through space. Its power had surged!
Now, relying solely on his own strength and without using Little Thunder, Lu Ming's overall combat power was already comparable to that of an Early Marquis Immortal!
Whether in Law Comprehension, secret-art mastery, or raw strength, he had reached an exceptionally high level for a World Lord.
Of course, he was only comparable.
Marquis Immortals had already forged undying bodies, with more condensed divine bodies and astonishing recovery.
Though Lu Ming could fight them head-on and even gain the upper hand, he still couldn't kill one outright with his own strength alone.
Every battle against a Marquis Immortal eventually turned into a prolonged war of attrition. When things went badly, his opponent could always find a chance to escape thanks to their undying body.
Still, that did nothing to diminish the splendid record he had built over the past three hundred years.
Fifty-nine alien Immortals had fallen to his Yan Kong Blade!
Most had been Immortal Military Lords, but several had been powerful high-ranking Military Lords!
Among World Lords, such a record was almost unheard of!
His frequent appearances, distinctive fighting style, and terrifying kill rate had gradually made the codename "Flame Edge" fade into obscurity. In its place, a more imposing title—one steeped in blood and authority—spread among the alien powerhouses in the region.
Burning Space World Lord!
Whenever he appeared, dark-red blade light followed, as if it would incinerate the void and twist space apart!
The unique aura of the Laws of Flame and Space fused together became his unmistakable hallmark.
In this part of the Yungu Star Belt, the name "Burning Space World Lord" had become enough to strike fear into the hearts of many alien Immortals.
In a shattered starfield strewn with the wreckage of countless ships, a squad of five Monster Race World Lords was fleeing!
"Not good! It's Burning Sky! It's the Burning Space World Lord! He's heading this way!"
The Monster Race World Lord's voice trembled with fear.
"What?! The Burning Space World Lord?!"
"How could that killer show up here?!"
"Run! Send out our coordinates and call for help! Send distress signals to every Monster Race squad nearby!"
The squad instantly fell into panic. Without hesitation, the five Monster Race World Lords turned and fled in different directions, frantically sending their coordinates and pleas for help through their communicators.
But they were still too slow.
A dark-red streak of light tore through the starry sky at a speed far beyond their imagination and appeared in the spot they had just occupied.
Lu Ming materialized and cast a cold glance at the five figures scattering in every direction.
"Hmph. Running?"
He locked onto the Monster Race World Lord fleeing the fastest and casually swung the Yan Kong Blade in his hand.
A concentrated crimson blade light seemed to cross the distance through space, catching up to the Monster Race World Lord in an instant.
"No! Help—!"
The Monster Race World Lord managed only one desperate cry.
The crimson blade light swept past. He, his armor, and the weapon in his hand all turned to ash in an instant, as if they had never existed.
Lu Ming didn't even glance at the dispersing ashes. He turned toward another direction, his figure blurring once more.
"Run? Think you can get away?"
His voice echoed through the stars like a whisper from the Death God.
With every flicker, another Monster Race World Lord turned to ash amid terror and despair.
In just a few breaths, all four fleeing Monster Race World Lords had fallen.
Only the last one remained—the Monster Race World Lord who had first sounded the warning. Scared out of his wits, he flew forward with everything he had.
Lu Ming followed close behind at an unhurried pace.
He slowly raised the Yan Kong Blade. A heart-stopping dark-red glow gathered along its length once more.
Feeling the deadly threat behind him, the Monster Race World Lord let out one final, soul-rending wail. "No—!!"
Dark-red blade light flared again.
The starry sky fell silent once more.
Lu Ming slowly sheathed the Yan Kong Blade and lightly wiped its surface. His gaze swept over the empty starfield, cold and his tone calm yet undeniably domineering. "In this Yungu Star Belt, no one I want dead has ever escaped."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Hummm!!!
An invisible, terrifyingly powerful vortex sprang into being without warning, instantly enveloping the entire starfield!
A bone-deep chill descended...
This was no ordinary cold. It was an extreme chill that seemed capable of freezing souls and sealing divine power!
Countless icy-blue frost flowers crystallized in the void. The floating fragments of stars and metal wreckage, large and small alike, were covered in thick ice before the eye, as the sound of freezing—"crack, crack"—rang out.
Even the light seemed to grow sluggish and dim. In an instant, the starfield became an Ice Prison of bitter cold.
At the center of the rapidly freezing starfield, Lu Ming felt the surrounding space turn into a mire. Invisible pressure squeezed in from every direction, trying to freeze him and the space around him solid.
Yet there was not a hint of alarm on his face. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold, knowing smile.
"Finally decided to show yourselves?"
Lu Ming scoffed and glanced toward two parts of the void.
"I thought you two would keep hiding in the shadows, watching your useless clansmen die to the last."
"Impudent!"
"Arrogant human!"
Two roars, both charged with terrifying divine might, rang out almost simultaneously. Like thunderclaps, they echoed through the frozen starfield, shaking the frozen fragments of nearby stars until they crumbled.
On the left, endless cold gathered in the void. A colossal beast tore through space and stepped out across the ice.
Its entire body was covered in silvery fur that gleamed like moonlight. Its massive frame rivaled a mountain, and its four paws trod upon dark-blue ice flames.
Its wolf eyes were a strange icy blue, as if they held two frigid worlds of ice and snow capable of freezing all things!
The powerful divine might of a Marquis Level radiated from him. He was Silver Frost Marquis, a Marquis Immortal of the Monster Race renowned for his mastery of the Law of Water!
On the right, another stretch of space rippled and melted as if corroded by poison. A giant serpent slithered out.
He was also a Monster Race Marquis, famed for his poison and cunning—Nightmare Snake Marquis!
A wolf and a snake: two Monster Race Marquis Immortals!
Their bone-chilling killing intent and Marquis-Level divine might pinned Lu Ming firmly at the center.