A Desperate Clash

"Trying to escape before this Holy Lord?" Holy Lord Junhao's indifferent voice seemed to sound right beside his ear, carrying a cat-and-mouse taunt.

Before his words had even faded, he flicked his wrist!

"Crack—!!"

A crisp whip crack, powerful enough to shatter stars, exploded through the void!

The long whip, seemingly forged from pure gold and covered in flowing runes, transformed into a golden bolt of lightning that tore through the river of space-time, lashing viciously toward Zhang Shuai's back!

Wherever the whip shadow passed, space collapsed layer by layer, and all laws of creation wailed!

This strike was sharper and deadlier than the one that had snapped the Undying Illusory-Light Butterfly's wings! Holy Lord Junhao had clearly become serious, intent on killing him in a single blow!

An intense shadow of death enveloped him, making every hair on Zhang Shuai's body stand on end!

He knew full well that his own defenses could never withstand this whip head-on, nor was it possible to evade Holy Lord Junhao's attack. Only by fighting desperately could he find a chance of survival in the face of death.

At that critical moment, madness and resolve flashed through Zhang Shuai's eyes!

He spun around and faced the golden whip shadow that hunted his life. Not only did he not retreat, he instead let out a furious roar!

Chaotic true essence and surging blood energy burned wildly as they poured into his arms!

The ancient, heavy divine axe that bore the mighty power of opening heaven suddenly appeared in his hands.

An axe radiance condensed to the absolute limit, as though it contained the power of the universe's first point of birth and destruction, slashed out soundlessly!

This axe radiance carried no earth-shaking momentum, yet it emanated the supreme intent of Return to Ruins and