He did not seem worried about whether the young man before him could defeat this prodigy of the Nine Heavens. They belonged to the same generation, and he knew exactly how powerful this man named Mo Qu was. The gulf was enough to inspire despair!
"You must be the leader of the Nine Heavens' younger generation! You've slain several Supreme Venerables of our realm. Commendable!" The young man wore an air of lofty superiority.
"What, your older generation is joining the fray now? Heh, I thought you could take a loss! Turns out you're nothing special!"
Lin Yue flicked the blood off the Black Sword and sneered. He was unafraid, but if he could sling insults, he would. This was a bloody war! Many on the Nine Heavens' side were watching, too. Seeing the enemy's older generation step in against their younger generation would do much to bolster their morale!
One young man had come for Lin Yue, while the Heavenly Horned Ant siblings were surrounded by eight opponents! All were outstanding Supreme Venerables of the Foreign Realm, kings of the previous generation who had entered the Escape One Realm. They had hurried over from other parts of the battlefield. Had reinforcements not arrived on this side, the enemy might have sent even more!
In the Foreign Realm's eyes, the Heavenly Horned Ants were the first targets they had to kill. The blood of many Immortals had carved that lesson into their bones and hearts. They dared not let this clan grow and had to strangle it in its cradle. They had already sent out the leaders of this generation, but they did not understand how any members of this clan were still alive. Hadn't they supposedly been exterminated?
There were even Extreme Dao figures watching nearby, ready to shamelessly intervene at the slightest change. The Nine Heavens had clearly noticed as well, and several Extreme Dao figures had arrived to hold the line! But their numbers fell far short of the enemy's!
Behind the Foreign Realm's forces, several indistinct figures exchanged voice transmissions.
"What is going on? How are members of this clan still alive? Didn't they say they had already slaughtered every last one?" An Extreme Dao figure spoke, his voice trembling. As one of the strongest beings beneath the Immortals, he knew something of that battle, which had shattered the heavens. Even now, the memory sent chills through him!
"No need to worry. We'll simply strike once more. They won't escape!"
"Indeed. If the situation changes, the two of us will restrain their side. Sorry for the trouble, fellow Daoist, but you'll have to kill these two. No matter what, they cannot be allowed to leave this battlefield today!"
"Very well!"
While Lin Yue and the young man spoke, the battle involving the siblings Yan and Yu had already erupted. The enemy's aim was simple: concentrate their experts and settle the matter once and for all!
"Ordinarily, I wouldn't intervene, but this is war, after all. I have no choice. Do you have any last words? Rest assured, I'll deliver them to your family. Consider it a small expression of my guilt for attacking you!"
The young man named Mo Qu spoke with supreme confidence. He thought he was bullying Lin Yue and intended to grant his final wish.
Lin Yue said, "And you? Any last words?"
"If you refuse to appreciate my kindness, then disappear with your regrets!"
As he finished speaking, the blue-green sword in his hand slashed out. Its keen sword intent mercilessly crossed the void toward Lin Yue. The power of this casual strike produced divine mark fluctuations that nearly surpassed the Escape One Realm. No ordinary Supreme Venerable could withstand it!
A smile touched Lin Yue's lips. He thrust out the Black Sword, and a sharper, more concentrated sword intent tore through everything, shattering the enemy's attack outright. The sword light drove straight toward his head!
After evading Lin Yue's slash, Mo Qu looked at the split void behind him, his face ashen. He had never imagined that the leader of the Nine Heavens' younger generation would be this strong, destroying his divine sword technique with a single strike!
"Hmph! My next strike will send you to rebirth!"
Lin Yue said, "Good idea!"
As Mo Qu spoke, black energy surged from his longsword, and divine ability runes sealed the void! He resembled a black sun devouring all things! The uncanny black energy writhed as though alive.
"Demonic Descent Sword!"
Mo Qu wanted to end the battle quickly. Heavenly Horned Ants had appeared on the battlefield, and he did not want to miss this chance to make his name. He unleashed a supreme Sword Dao treasured technique immediately!
"Hmph! Sword Disrupts Yin and Yang!"
Lin Yue snorted coldly. Black and white energies manifested over the Black Sword, and he slashed out with the same murderous force that sought to destroy everything!
The yin and yang of the surrounding heavens were thrown into chaos. The demonic energy on his opponent's sword could no longer hold together and began evaporating!
Whoosh...!
Space could not withstand their sword techniques pushed to the utmost and was cleaved apart.
Though neither had entered Extreme Dao, their exchanges revealed that they were no ordinary Escape One Supreme Venerables. Both stood among the very finest on their respective sides. A fissure stretched across the sky above the entire battlefield, instantly drawing countless gazes.
Mo Qu froze, unable to believe that his opponent had withstood his assault. They both wielded swords, but Mo Qu specialized in Sword Dao divine abilities. Combined with his clan's invincible ancestral technique, he had always swept all before him! Yet his opponent had actually proved superior!
"Who is this man? He actually blocked Mo Qu's killing strike!"
An Extreme Dao figure of the Foreign Realm spoke with tightly knitted brows. Things felt increasingly wrong. The Nine Heavens were actually beginning to fight back.
"No need to worry. The final victory in this war will certainly belong to our realm!" an Extreme Dao figure beside him declared confidently.
Lin Yue asked, "Where do you rank among the leaders of the Foreign Realm's previous generation?"
Mo Qu's face was grave. "Much as I hate to admit it, I rank eleventh!"
"Impressive!"
Lin Yue was praising him. To rank eleventh in a vast world like the Foreign Realm, even with its many hidden monsters, meant he had the potential to become an Immortal!
Unfortunately, it still was not enough! He was far too inferior to He Wushuang!
As Lin Yue finished speaking, he stepped forth with Yin-Yang Reversal, crossed space and time, and slashed. There was no divine technique, only a sword strike powered by the most primal divine strength of his flesh. His utmost, heaven-reaching divine power unfolded like an ancient treasured technique, sending ripples through the void as he cut!
For the first time since breaking through, Lin Yue unleashed his physical divine strength in battle!
His figure flashed like divine thunder, hacking down with one sword strike after another.
Mo Qu gathered every treasured technique he could use, but none could stop Lin Yue's divine strength, which rivaled that of the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan. Every defense crumbled beneath his sword!
"Ah..." His divine body shattered, and terror filled the face of Mo Qu's twisted primordial spirit! His opponent had forcibly cut apart all his divine abilities through physical divine strength alone. Was this another Heavenly Horned Ant?
"One final strike, to put you out of your misery!"
A thread of divine radiance coiled around Lin Yue's longsword. Its indestructible divinity and a gleaming ray of light carried the power to annihilate primordial spirits!
"Enough, boy!"
A huge hand descended from the void and reached for Lin Yue, attempting to rescue Mo Qu, who had been reduced to his primordial spirit!
This was an expert of the Foreign Realm with one foot in the Extreme Dao domain!
"Hmph! Life-Less Yin-Yang Sword!"
This Sword Dao attack possessed supreme killing power derived from the Yin-Yang Dao Chapter! Beyond carrying astonishing divine strength, its keen sword intent had already begun evolving from a sword strike into a treasured technique. Once Lin Yue entered the immortal Dao, it would surely become a supreme secret art!
The huge hand in the void shattered, failing to save Mo Qu!
"Good! Good! Good! If I don't kill you today, how can I return and face my clan's elders?" The newcomer was an old man. His failure to save Mo Qu left him furious, his face contorted!
"I've already solved that problem for you. I'll send you down below today, so there's no need to agonize over it!"
The instant Lin Yue spoke, his longsword had already slashed out. His opponent was clearly no arrogant young man like Mo Qu. To have survived this long, caution had to come first!
"Arrogant junior! I am Mo Di. Today, I'll show you what a Supreme Dao Venerable is!"
The instant Mo Di spoke, he held his fingers together like a blade. Black energy flowed out from them, forming a black saber that crossed space like black lightning!
"Heh, if you had truly entered Extreme Dao, I'd turn around and leave without another word. Unfortunately, you're just trash who barely touches its divine marks. Today, I'll sacrifice you to my battle banner!"
Thunder roared and lightning flashed. Divine marks on the verge of reaching Extreme Dao began tearing apart the entire land. Though this was not an attack from a Supreme Dao Venerable, it was enough to draw the attention of most of those present!
Chapter 18: The Bloody Battle Begins
Above the void, saber intent crisscrossed and sword energy ran wild. Every collision between their attacks brought roaring thunder and intertwining lightning.
Few paid attention to Mo Di and Lin Yue's battle, as the Heavenly Horned Ant siblings' fight had begun reaching a fever pitch.
Mo Di's palms were now numb. The longer he fought, the more alarmed he became. Something was wrong.
The flesh of this young Supreme Venerable from the Nine Heavens was truly astonishing. His divine strength surpassed Mo Di's own. Not only did he crush divine abilities and treasured techniques with his bare hands, but even after Mo Di exhausted his methods, many abilities that struck him directly caused no damage! Could he be carrying some mysterious ancient artifact?
Unfortunately, his opponent seemed to be concealing his strength and had not gone all out. Otherwise, more experts would have come to support Mo Di!
"Even if you have an ancient artifact protecting you, I don't believe you can last much longer. Die, boy! Demonic Blade Annihilates the World! Eternal Sinking!"
The old man unleashed a heaven-shaking roar. His long saber tore through chaos as he held nothing back, slashing toward Lin Yue with an utterly merciless assault.
"Hmph! If thinking that makes you feel better, I don't mind. I've always been generous to the dead, because today, you're destined to enter the cycle of reincarnation! Profound Yin Sword! Rise!"
As Lin Yue spoke, only black energy surged over his longsword, like burning flames. Yet those flames gave off no heat. Instead, they chilled one to the bone and carried a force that devoured vitality!
The sound of a saber shattering rang out. His divine weapon had actually been broken by a single sword strike. The old man instantly discarded the shattered saber in his hand and fled backward without hesitation.
Sure enough, anyone who could reach half-step Extreme Dao was no simple character. Still, this opponent amounted to little more than that and could not be considered powerful. He had probably used some means to raise his strength to this level!
"Damn you, boy! Don't get too pleased with yourself. You're already on my clan's kill list. The next time we meet will be your death!"
"Hmph! Your words at the start were so grand, and now your flight is just as pathetic. Unfortunately for you, can you really escape?"
"Yin-Yang Reversal! Treading the Void!"
Lin Yue's figure appeared before his opponent in an instant!
"Life-Less Yin-Yang Sword! Enter the cycle of reincarnation!"
"Ah... save me!"
As Lin Yue slashed out, heaven and earth fell into lifeless silence.
"Tch!"
Lin Yue flicked his longsword!
Meanwhile.
The Heavenly Horned Ant siblings, Yan and Yu, were being surrounded and attacked by an increasing number of Supreme Venerables from the Foreign Realm. Their opponents grew ever stronger, since ordinary Supreme Venerables could not harm the two at all! They hoped sheer numbers would produce a qualitative change!
And the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan's appearance on the battlefield was simply far too conspicuous!
Among their enemies were three experts with one foot in Extreme Dao!
"Hmph, even the strongest of your Heavenly Horned Ant Clan were slain by the kings of our realm. What waves can you possibly stir up? After escaping disaster, you should have hidden yourselves away! Instead, you came out to whip up wind and waves. Let me be the one to bring your clan to its final end!"
A four-armed giant from the Foreign Realm spoke. As he raised his hand, a divine fist like a pillar supporting heaven smashed out. Lightning gathered in the void, coiling around his enormous, heaven-reaching hand as it descended.
Four figures followed close behind him. As they attacked, ancient techniques blanketed heaven and earth. They intended to defeat the two with absolute, overwhelming might!
"With that little strength, you dare boast so shamelessly? Break!"
Yu raised her hand, her jade-white fingers closing into a fist. Wherever it passed, the enemy's divine abilities unraveled! They simply could not withstand this peerless divine fist born of ultimate divine strength, together with the indestructible divine script of the Indestructible Scripture!
Boom... Heavenly Star shook as though Extreme Dao figures were fighting. Across the battlefield, many could barely remain standing.
That showed just how terrifying the combined strike of those Foreign Realm experts had been, yet even it could not shake the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan's mighty reputation! A woman with such a proud, striking figure as Yu made the sight all the more staggering.
One overwhelming force subdued ten clever techniques. The enemy's intentions and approach were instead perfectly embodied in the instant Yu struck!
Apart from the four-armed giant, every other Foreign Realm fighter had their divine body shattered by that punch. Had the siblings' physiques advanced another step, that strike would likely have pulverized their primordial spirits as well!
This was strength breaking all techniques, the forging of the flesh through power pushed to its utmost.
On the other side, Yan likewise slew several opponents with the ease of smashing rotten wood and sweeping away dry leaves!
Heaven and earth cried out in grief, and phenomena arose in profusion. Seven or eight Supreme Venerables had died at once. Their blood spread like a crimson mist, staining the sky before turning into a rain of blood and falling to the ground with their corpses!
"The mighty Heavenly Horned Ants are invincible! Supreme Venerables of the Foreign Realm? Killing you is no different from slaughtering dogs! Hahaha...!"
Everyone from the Nine Heavens cheered and laughed. After enduring defeat all this time, they had actually tasted the victory of crushing their opponents. How hard-won this moment was!
"Quick! Quick! Call for help! Have our realm's invincible experts act! If they can't kill them, ask the mighty Immortals to intervene. Wipe out the last living members of this clan!"
The Foreign Realm fighters left with only their primordial spirits wailed. Their courage had been shattered, and they screamed incoherently!
This was the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan. The two grew fiercer as they fought, their invincible divine strength erupting to form a force field around them. Within that domain, divine strength poured out through their bodies and seemed about to solidify, influencing and distorting space. Any divine ability unable to exceed their divine strength could not even reach them. Divine abilities had no path through, as though they were unaffected by all laws.
To defeat the two, one had to break through with Great Dao divine abilities born of supreme divine strength.
Just then, an abrupt change occurred. The laws of heaven and earth began to be obscured, and a blue-green sword light descended from the void. Before its keen sword intent even reached the battlefield, everyone felt a chill throughout their bodies. Yan and Yu's flesh stung as though the approaching sword intent would slice them apart, because they were its targets.
Yet neither feared it. They stared straight at that heaven-cleaving sword intent, their eyes filled with boundless hatred. They knew this sword light. It was precisely this clan's king whose heaven-shaking sword technique had cut through the old Heavenly Horned Ant's body, pinned his brow, and struck his primordial spirit!
"Hahaha... is this an Immortal of our realm taking action? That's more like it! Heavenly Horned Ants? The strongest race? They're nothing but ghosts beneath the sword! They cannot withstand a single blow!" A Foreign Realm Supreme Venerable who had nearly been scared witless spoke, trying to reverse their decline!
An uproar swept through the Foreign Realm's forces! Everyone from the Nine Heavens was startled as well!
"Hmph! You really did intervene without shame!"
A ray of immortal light appeared behind the Nine Heavens' forces and instantly enveloped the two.
The golden light shattered, and the sword light vanished!
"It's an Immortal of that clan!" someone from the Nine Heavens said, voice trembling!
"Is it that clan? Their king's terrifying sword technique cut open the mighty Heavenly Horned Ant's body before. It was too horrifying. We were about to win, so why has this clan come? Damn them!"
"Damn it! Why are their Immortals joining the battle too? Can't they take a loss? A pack of scum!"
Clearly, some were fighting in their first battle and did not understand!
"Alas... just like our side, they have people holding the line. The mighty Heavenly Horned Ants are too powerful, so they couldn't resist intervening. Before, it was as though they were merely training their troops. We can only hope they don't have too many Immortals!"
Someone offered an explanation!
"Oh! It's you, Bai Ni! A True Immortal of the Nine Heavens. I remember you. You killed an Immortal of our realm. To think you survived that great battle!"
The enemy who had attacked spoke!
Before you continue