Fierce Battle, Space Lockdown

"Father, Mother, I'll leave this Space Phantom behind. When I come back, we'll go home together."

Qie Qiong spoke to his parents.

As he spoke, Qie Qiong left the Space Phantom behind to guard Qin Garden, and his figure merged into space and vanished.

The next moment, he appeared in the sky above Thunder Sacred Land's city.

Almost simultaneously, the pillar of blazing white lightning dispersed, revealing the Thunder Imperial Family's Demigod ancestor, Lei Wuji, whose aura was as deep as an abyss.

Although he was a Demigod, the intelligence said he had only a few years left to live. Yet there was no sign of that now.

Wind and thunder coiled around him, and his gaze crackled like lightning as he stared fixedly at Qie Qiong in the sky.

Yet besides towering rage, his gaze held a trace of suspicion and surprise that he could scarcely conceal.

He actually sensed a threat from this young man.

As a Deity Heart Realm expert in the Grade Four True Meaning of Wind and Thunder, now further empowered by the imperial palace demigod artifact, he should have had no reason to feel this way about anyone in the entire Cang Yun Material World.

"Junior, who are you? How dare you murder a prince of my Lei family!"

Prince Lei Xiao had been his favorite descendant, and the one he had chosen to succeed him as the imperial family's next Demigod. Yet now he had died so suddenly.

"My name is Qie Qiong!" Qie Qiong's voice was calm and unruffled, yet it rang clearly throughout Thunder Sacred Land. "Son of Lin Wantang. Today, I've come to collect the debt owed to my mother."

"Qie Qiong?" Lei Wuji's pupils contracted.

The only person in the Qie Clan worthy of his attention was Lin Wantang, who possessed the mysteries of life.

Yet Lin Wantang's son could actually make him feel threatened?

Back then, when he heard that Lin Wantang's son had broken through to become a Transcendent at just over twenty years of age, he had given an order.

If he remembered correctly, only ten years had passed since then. Without resources, Qie Qiong had actually become a Demigod, and no ordinary one at that.

"To be such a genius, die!" Countless thoughts flashed through Lei Wuji's mind. He had to make sure Qie Qiong stayed here today, or else he would progress too quickly.

Becoming a god would probably be no great difficulty for him either.

The Thunder Imperial Family would likely have to remain in this sacred land world until he became a Deity and was expelled from the Material World many years later. Only then might the imperial family be able to return to the Material World.

Moreover, Lin Wantang was his only hope of extending his life. Anyone who threatened that hope had to die.

He said no more. The divine artifact spear in his hand, the [Heavenly Execution Thunder Spear], bestowed by the God of Thunder in the Divine Realm, suddenly erupted with blinding purple-gold divine light!

Boom-!

A bolt of purple-gold divine lightning, condensed to the utmost and bearing the power to annihilate all things, crossed the distance in an instant and stabbed straight at Qie Qiong's heart!

It was so fast that the eye could not track it.

Yet the instant before the lightning reached him, Qie Qiong vanished from where he stood.

The purple-gold lightning struck the place behind where Qie Qiong had been.

A Saint Rank Transcendent's residence had stood there, but the instant the lightning struck, the Saint Rank Transcendent was blasted into nothingness along with the residence, without even a chance to resist.

Only a giant crater blasted out by the lightning remained.

Qie Qiong's figure had already appeared a hundred zhang to Lei Wuji's side.

Teleportation, an application of the True Meaning of Space.

"Space?!" Lei Wuji's pupils shrank sharply, and the killing intent in his heart grew even stronger.

"You've only gained a preliminary grasp of Space Teleportation, a Grade Three True Meaning, and you dare challenge me here in Thunder Sacred Land?"

"Still, I should thank you. If you'd revealed yourself any later, I might have had some reason to fear you."

He finally understood what the young man was relying on.

It was a spatial-type True Meaning, one that had appeared extremely rarely in the history of the Cang Yun Material World.

Because Qie Qiong had only demonstrated teleportation so far, Lei Wuji had fallen under this misconception.

After all, he would never have imagined that what Qie Qiong had comprehended was not teleportation or some other True Meaning subordinate to the True Meaning of Space.

It was the legendary complete Grade Two True Meaning.

Whoosh!

A streak of dark golden light answered him.

Qie Qiong loosely closed his right hand, and the pure True Meaning of Metal condensed and compressed into a three-foot golden sword of light, gleaming with a chilling metallic luster.

Even a distant glance at its edge was enough to convey its sharpness.

Qie Qiong had formed the sword by compressing and condensing the True Meaning of Metal, making up for his lack of a weapon.

This sword was already comparable to a top-grade demigod artifact.

He flicked his wrist, and the power of Space Cutting coated the sword light as it silently slashed toward Lei Wuji's neck. The sword light seemed poised to cut through space along with him.

Lei Wuji's gaze grew grave. He swept his divine artifact spear across, unleashing the full power of his Deity Heart Realm True Meaning of Wind and Thunder.

The power of wind and thunder turned into several roaring Thunder Dragons, which crashed viciously into the dark golden sword light imbued with Space Cutting!

Boom!!!

An ear-splitting blast and a devastating energy shock wave spread in all directions, the aftershocks sweeping downward like an apocalyptic tsunami!

Below, the palaces of the Demigod families along the eleven main thoroughfares of Thunder Sacred Land, as well as the demigod artifact palace at the center of the imperial family, all burst into dazzling light. Powerful defensive formations activated like eleven sturdy dams, holding back the torrent of destruction and protecting the sacred land city.

Even so, the light of the lesser formations that lit up in the streets flickered violently, as though it might go out at any moment.

At the other Demigod palaces, the thoughts of seven Demigod experts rose as they watched the battle from afar.

"A spatial-type True Meaning and the True Meaning of Metal?"

"That old fellow from the imperial family has used a divine artifact, yet they're only evenly matched?"

"Ancestor, should we lend him a hand?" a core descendant of one family asked.

"Help the imperial family?" Within a towering palace, the Demigod family head's voice was cold and indifferent. "How many years have they suppressed us, relying on their divine artifact and the sacred land's core formation?"

"Hmph, which of the ten families hasn't suffered under the imperial family's oppression? Even if those three absent Demigods were here, I doubt they'd be willing to take a blade for him. Watch and wait!"

The seven wills fell silent and reached an unspoken understanding, doing nothing beyond holding back the world-destroying aftershocks of the battle at their respective protective barriers.

In the sky, the battle had become the heart of a storm.

Wielding the [Heavenly Execution Thunder Spear], Lei Wuji used his Deity Heart to draw upon the laws of heaven and earth. He drew boundless lightning from the void and the sacred land's great formation, turning it into Thunder Dragons that intertwined across the sky and formed a net of lightning punishment!

He also secretly activated the core formation of Thunder Sacred Land's city to empower himself, trying to crush Qie Qiong with absolute force.

Yet Qie Qiong was like a ghost in the storm. He wielded the True Meaning of Space with consummate mastery.

His figure flickered in and out as he moved freely through the cracks in space.

The dark golden sword of light changed endlessly in his hand. At times, it became a single cold star, piercing through space to strike from an immense distance;

At others, empowered by the force of space, it decapitated the incoming Thunder Dragons and cut the lightning net apart.

Bang!

A Thunder Dragon finally struck Qie Qiong.

The grievous injury Lei Wuji had anticipated never appeared.

A strange "feather robe" woven from silver and gold threads instantly appeared on Qie Qiong. It was the defensive secret technique Golden Feather Robe, which fused the True Meaning of Space as its core with the True Meaning of Metal as its framework.

Previously, the Golden Feather Robe had been based primarily on the True Meaning of Metal, but since he had comprehended the complete True Meaning of Space, that had become its primary foundation.

Frenzied lightning energy struck the feather robe, most of it twisted away and dispersed by the disordered space. The remaining force landed on his powerful body, which had already reached Peak Saint Rank, leaving only a blackened scorch mark that quickly healed under his abundant vitality.

Such a superficial wound was almost negligible in a fight between Demigods.

"How is this possible?!" After fighting for so long without victory, even with the sacred land formation empowering him, he could only hold his opponent to a stalemate.

His opponent's spatial abilities were far too uncanny, and his defenses were even more despair-inducing.

"This boy has become a grave threat! I must stop him at any cost!" A venomous thought took root in Lei Wuji's mind. While continuing his ferocious assault to hold Qie Qiong back, he spoke to a trusted subordinate deep within the central palace:

"Go to the Qie Clan at once. Capture Lin Wantang and Qie Yunzhou at any cost, immediately!" He knew full well that only by seizing Qie Qiong's parents might he shatter his state of mind and secure victory.

At that moment, in heavily guarded residences throughout the sacred land city, the other seven Demigod ancestors had long since appeared at high vantage points, gravely watching this battle at the pinnacle of the Material World.

Qie Qiong's gaze sharpened.

Qie Qiong had naturally heard the order Lei Wuji gave the imperial family.

Moreover, he sensed that several Transcendents had already headed toward the Qie Clan.

But Qie Qiong was not overly worried. After all, he had left his Phantom Body behind to protect his parents.

With half his strength, his Phantom Body was more than a match for even the Demigods in this city, let alone the Thunder Imperial Family's collection of crooked melons and cracked jujubes.

That did not stop him from being angry, however.

"Old dog!" Qie Qiong shouted.

He seized a tiny opening in Lei Wuji's guard and fiercely thrust out the dark golden sword light in his hand. Wherever its point aimed, the space beneath the formation's cover let out an ear-splitting groan.

Lei Wuji sensed the danger and swung his spear back with all his might to block, unable even to maintain his Thunder Dragons and lightning net.

Clang-!!!!

The terrifying crash seemed ready to shatter space itself, and purple-gold lightning splashed wildly outward.

At the center of the energy, the two men were sent flying apart.

Just as this surge of energy erupted,

a series of thunderous crashes suddenly came from the direction of the Qie residence.

They were followed by several piercing shrieks of colliding energy and a brief scream from an imperial family expert.

Qie Qiong's Space Phantom had made its move! The Transcendents and the two Flesh and Blood War Soldiers the Thunder Imperial Family had sent to capture Lin Wantang and her husband had all suffered a devastating blow.

Using the formation, Lei Wuji saw what had happened. His face instantly turned livid, his expression uglier than ever.

"Old bastard! You truly deserve to die!"

Qie Qiong's furious roar and towering killing intent swept across heaven and earth.

The dark golden sword of light in his hand suddenly erupted with a golden radiance fiercer than ever before. The powers of space and metal combined and contracted at the sword tip, forming a black Extreme Point.

The sword light flashed.

Crossing the distance through space, the sword light stabbed straight at Lei Wuji's heart.

It was so fast that Lei Wuji could only raise his spear in haste and barely block it.

Yet that lethal black Extreme Point had already reached his chest.

Life and death hung on an instant.

Just as the deadly sword light was about to pierce Lei Wuji's heart,

Clang-!!!

A ring on Lei Wuji's finger suddenly erupted with dazzling earth-yellow light.

A dull-colored giant shield engraved with ancient divine patterns appeared instantly, blocking the black Extreme Point.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The shield's surface collided with the black Extreme Point, and cracks instantly spread through space.

The giant shield shook violently, sending Lei Wuji flying back again, but in the end he suffered no serious injury.

Although Qie Qiong's attack was powerful, it had not reached the level of a Deity and still could not damage the giant shield.

The giant shield transformed into a burly humanoid figure two meters tall, clad in dark golden armor etched with divine patterns.

"Heh, junior, you've actually forced me to use a divine artifact war soldier." Lei Wuji hesitated no longer. The Space Ring on his left hand flashed again.

A ball of crimson flame burst open and condensed into a Divine Realm War Soldier clad in heavy flame armor and wielding a giant hammer.

A drop of water became a Divine Realm War Soldier holding a trident.

Finally, a flash of emerald light turned into a Divine Realm War Soldier with vines coiling around its entire body.

With the appearance of the four Divine Realm War Soldiers, four powerful Demigod Rank auras echoed one another, instantly locking onto Qie Qiong as they closed in around him.

Qie Qiong's pupils contracted slightly.

"Yang Earth, Crimson Flame, Azure Sea, Verdant Forest, kill him!" Lei Wuji roared, keeping the war soldiers in front of him for protection.

Defend Earth charged like a mountain, Crimson Flame turned into blazing fire that sealed off the spatial nodes in the area, Azure Sea thrust a trident straight at Qie Qiong, and Verdant Forest's vines grew wildly, trying to entangle him.

Qie Qiong's figure darted back and forth through space, dark golden sword light sweeping in every direction.

The sword light slashed and collided furiously with the four. With every clash, the thunderous blasts and energy storms shook the city's protective formation below until it seemed ready to collapse.

The four war soldiers coordinated exquisitely, their attributes complementing one another, and actually fought Qie Qiong to a standstill.

"Damn it!" Qie Qiong's gaze grew grave.

The bodies of these Divine Realm War Soldiers were indestructible. There was simply no way to damage them.

With their flawless coordination, he might not be able to determine a victor even after fighting them for decades.

As a Demigod, Qie Qiong had nearly inexhaustible strength, but fighting them for so long was not worth it.

Besides, his parents were still down below.

After several rounds of fierce combat, Qie Qiong understood.

He made an instant decision.

"Old dog! You think these lumps of iron can keep you safe forever?" Qie Qiong taunted. "Today, I'll collect a little interest first!"

Before his words had faded, he teleported, forcibly breaking free of the encirclement and appearing instantly above the imperial family's demigod artifact castle at the center of the sacred land city.

Under Lei Wuji's shocked and furious gaze,

Qie Qiong gripped his sword with both hands, compressed and combined the True Meaning of Space and the True Meaning of Metal to their limits, and poured them into its tip!

"Extreme Point."

An indescribably terrifying beam of sword light crashed down upon the castle.

Rumble, rumble!

The demigod artifact castle, capable of withstanding most attacks from peak Demigods, was like paper before that force.

The core palace, along with the large number of imperial Core Members inside it-princes, imperial sons, and members of the imperial clan—was instantly reduced to elementary particles.

There was not even a scream.

"No!!!" Lei Wuji let out a despairing roar.

The imperial family members who lived in Thunder Sacred Land represented most of the family's strength.

Although there were still quite a few people of imperial blood in the Material World, they were all far too mediocre.

The four divine artifact war soldiers pounced on Qie Qiong.

Yet Qie Qiong had no intention of prolonging the fight.

The instant he destroyed the castle, the True Meaning of Space erupted.

"Space Lockdown."

Hum-!!!

A thin, translucent silver film completely enveloped the space.

The four War Soldiers and Lei Wuji lunged forward, only to slam into an invisible boundary wall. Their speed plummeted, and they were forcibly trapped within the sealed space.

"Old dog, wait right here. I'll come back in a few years to take your dog life." Qie Qiong's figure had already vanished.

The next instant, Qie Qiong appeared directly in Qin Garden at the Qie residence.

"Father, Mother, let's go!" He wasted no time.

As Qie Yunzhou and Lin Wantang watched, he drew a finger through the void.

Riiip-!

A stable spatial rift was torn open.

"Phantom Body, maintain the lockdown." Qie Qiong gave the order to the Space Phantom beside him.

"Yes!" The Phantom Body solemnly accepted the order, and spatial power surged into the film of light forming the lockdown.

Qie Qiong took his parents by the hand and stepped into the rift.

The rift closed in an instant, and the three vanished without a trace.

All that remained were the city and people outside the Space Lockdown, affected by the aftermath of the battle, and, above the city within the Space Lockdown, the four Divine Realm War Soldiers and Lei Wuji, the Lei family's Demigod ancestor.

The Space Lockdown, reinforced by the Phantom Body, was enough to hold them for decades.

Unless those Demigods outside were willing to join forces to dispose of the Phantom Body, then work with those inside to break the lockdown.

But judging by what had just happened, it was obviously impossible.

They couldn't wait for the imperial family to die.