Divine Might Like a Prison, Sophistry Smooth as a Reed Pipe

Above the firmament, divine might weighed down like a prison.

Though Li Yunming had only just entered the God Realm, his Heaven-Piercing Spear Intent surged ever forward, and he fought the veteran Divine Official Qiu Qianchen to a standstill. Wherever the spear's radiance passed, ripples spread through space, drawing repeated cries of alarm from those below. Relying on his profound cultivation, Dongyue Xian had completely suppressed Xie Miaojiang. Emerald light coiled around black poisonous mist, leaving him unable to break free even half a step.

However, a battle between God Rank experts was no trifling matter. Every second brought immense expenditure. Though Dongyue Xian held the upper hand, it would not be easy for him to utterly defeat Xie Miaojiang, who was also a Divine Official, in a short time. As for Li Yunming, although his momentum was like a rainbow, Qiu Qianchen's foundations ran deep. Given enough time, the outcome was still uncertain.

Just as the battle reached a stalemate and everyone's hearts hung in the air—

"Buzz—!"

From the east and north, two vast divine auras swept over at a speed beyond perception, like slumbering dragons awakening. One carried the boundlessness and profundity of the stars; the other contained the sharp tyranny of lightning. Neither was weaker than any God Rank expert present.

"They're here!" A sharp light flashed in Dongyue Xian's eyes, and his perpetually tense expression eased slightly.

Below, Li Yuanhui, Dongyue Qing, and the others were overjoyed.

"It's Senior Luo Wuya of the Astral Sect and Senior Lin Jingshen of the Thunderstorm Sword Sect!" Dongyue Qingxuan cried in excitement. "They really came!"

"Heaven bless the Li Family! Heaven bless the Li Family!" Elder Li Tiancheng's voice trembled. The joy of surviving a desperate situation nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Li Xuansheng clenched his fists tightly. Feeling those two auras that were both heart-palpitating and incomparably reassuring, he thought to himself, Is this the foundation of the continent's top powers? It seems the alliance pact from eight hundred years ago was not merely empty words.

In stark contrast to the jubilation of the Li Family and Dongyue Clan, Qiu Qianchen and Xie Miaojiang's faces instantly turned extremely grim.

Qiu Qianchen feinted, forcing Li Yunming back before retreating and joining Xie Miaojiang, who had likewise broken free from his entanglement. He stared fixedly in the direction from which the auras had come, his voice filled with barely restrained shock and fury. "Luo Wuya! Lin Jingshen! Are those two old ghosts really coming to wade into this mess?!"

Xie Miaojiang's figure, shrouded in poisonous mist, also flickered slightly. He said sinisterly, "This is troublesome."

As the divine light receded, two figures appeared almost simultaneously above Heavenly Phoenix City.

On the left stood a man in a star-patterned robe, with an ancient, weathered face. When his eyes opened and closed, countless stars seemed to be born and extinguished within them. He was Luo Wuya, ancestor of the Astral Sect. He did not deliberately release any pressure, yet he seemed to be the center of the entire sky, inspiring instinctive reverence in all who saw him.

On the right stood a man in a green robe, his body straight as a sword. Faint purple lightning flowed around him, and his gaze was sharp enough to pierce the heart. He was Lin Jingshen, ancestor of the Thunderstorm Sword Sect. Simply standing there, he exuded an ultimate sharpness that seemed capable of cutting through anything.

"Hehe, Heavenly Phoenix City is rather lively today." Luo Wuya swept his gaze across the battlefield. His voice was calm, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Fellow Daoist Dongyue, it has been a long time. This one... must be the newly ascended Sky-Piercing Spear God? Congratulations on stepping into the Divine Domain. The continent has gained another pillar." He nodded amicably at Li Yunming.

Li Yunming held his spear and cupped his fists, neither servile nor overbearing. "This junior is Li Yunming. Greetings, Senior Luo, Senior Lin."

Lin Jingshen nodded slightly in return, then turned his lightning-like gaze upon Qiu Qianchen and Xie Miaojiang. His voice was cold as ice. "Qiu Qianchen, Xie Miaojiang. Eight hundred years ago, all sides established an alliance pact: God Rank experts were not to easily interfere in worldly disputes, much less initiate divine wars, lest countless lives suffer. What do your actions today mean? Do you intend to treat the pact as nothing and reignite war across the continent?"

His words were like a sword drawn from its sheath, carrying undisguised interrogation.

Qiu Qianchen's face turned ashen. He knew he could not admit to violating the pact, or he would become the target of public condemnation. Taking a deep breath, he forcibly suppressed his fury and cupped his fists. "Brother Luo, Brother Lin, you have come from afar, so please hear me out. It is not that I, Qiu Qianchen, wish to violate the pact. It is the Li Family that has gone too far!"

He pointed at the Li Family members below, his voice grief-stricken and indignant. "The Qiu Family and the Li Family originally held a private grudge, yet the Li Family acted ruthlessly and killed several of our Qiu Family's Titled Douluo elders during the previous conflict! This is a blood debt beyond measure! As the Qiu Family's ancestor, if I cannot seek justice for my clansmen, how could I still stand between Heaven and earth? I acted today only to defend myself, only to seek an explanation. I had absolutely no intention of provoking a divine war!"

Xie Miaojiang immediately added in a hoarse voice, "Fellow Daoist Lin, your words are mistaken. I did not come here to interfere in the dispute between those two families. It was merely that Fellow Daoist Dongyue Xian insisted on protecting the Li Family and using his power to oppress others. Fellow Daoist Qiu could not hold on alone, so he invited me here to uphold justice. My purpose was to maintain balance, not to fight. If anyone has violated the pact, it was Dongyue Xian, who sheltered the Li Family first. We were merely forced to retaliate."

Dongyue Xian laughed coldly in anger at this shameless twisting of black and white. "What a fine 'upholding justice'! Xie Miaojiang, your Five Poisons Valley and the Qiu Family harbor wolfish ambitions. You clearly covet Heavenly Phoenix City and my Heavenly Heart City, intending to divide the foundations of our two families between yourselves. And now you dare call yourselves righteous men? What an absurd joke!"

Luo Wuya's expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. He spoke slowly, "Fellow Daoist Qiu, Fellow Daoist Xie. Worldly grievances have their own methods of resolution. Though disputes between Titled Douluo are also brutal, they remain within the rules. As deities, you two directly attacked mortal forces. You have already crossed the line. As for whether Fellow Daoist Dongyue showed favoritism, we are not ignorant of the full cause and effect. The two of you joined forces and marched upon the city, intending to exterminate them. I fear that cannot be explained away with a mere claim of 'self-defense' or 'upholding justice.'"

Lin Jingshen snorted impatiently and exposed them directly. "Stop dressing up your words! You know perfectly well what you two are plotting. You merely saw that the Li Family was weak and the Dongyue Family could barely stand alone, so you wanted to seize the chance to swallow them up and strengthen yourselves. Now that things have not gone your way, you bring out the alliance pact as a fig leaf? If you two had gained the upper hand today, would you have remembered this agreement from eight hundred years ago?"

Qiu Qianchen's face alternated between red and white. He knew he could no longer stand on the side of reason, so he could only force himself to say, "Brother Luo, Brother Lin! This is a private grudge between the Qiu Family, the Li Family, and the Dongyue Family. Please, for the sake of our past friendship, do not interfere. So long as the two of you stand aside today, the Qiu Family and Five Poisons Valley will repay you handsomely in the future!"

He deliberately stressed the words "repay you handsomely," and the implication needed no explanation.

Xie Miaojiang also said ominously, "Indeed. The situation on the continent is already complicated. It is better to avoid trouble where possible. Why should the two of you offend both our families for the sake of a small family that has only just risen?"

An unspoken threat had already entered his words.

For a moment, the scene fell silent. Everyone's eyes focused on Luo Wuya and Lin Jingshen. Their stance would directly determine the final course of events today.

Luo Wuya and Lin Jingshen exchanged a glance. Each saw resolve in the other's eyes.

Luo Wuya gently shook his head and sighed, but his voice carried unquestionable firmness. "Fellow Daoist Qiu, Fellow Daoist Xie, it seems you still do not understand."

"The purpose of the alliance pact is not restraint, but order. If it is broken today because of your selfish desires, the continent will inevitably sink into the mire of divine war once more. When that time comes, flames of war will rise everywhere and countless lives will suffer. The karma of that is not something you two can bear, and neither the Astral Sect nor the Thunderstorm Sword Sect will stand by and watch."

Lin Jingshen stepped forward, sword intent soaring into the heavens around him as he declared, "No need for further words! So long as the pact remains, it cannot be trampled upon! If you two withdraw now, today's matter may still be dropped. But if you persist in your delusion..."

His voice paused. Behind him, the space itself seemed to open an invisible sword case, releasing bursts of resonant clanging. His meaning could not have been clearer.

"Then do not blame my God-Shocking Sword for showing no mercy!"