In the dirt.
Su Lingchen still had a trace of life left. His consciousness was dazed as he stared at the battle in the sky.
Before this, he really thought Marquis Champion hadn't shown up because he feared him.
Now…
In the heavens.
The violet-haired man was slightly surprised. "To take one of my palms? Interesting."
Behind him appeared a violet thunder sun, its terrifying aura of destruction changing the very color of heaven and earth.
"Thunder Sun Extinguishes the World."
Crack!
The thunder sun fired a pillar of destruction that pierced the void in an instant, blasting straight at Yun Jinghuai.
"Marquis Champion, be careful!"
The soldiers of Great Zhou shouted in alarm.
But Yun Jinghuai stood unshaken. His spear moved like a dragon, and black dragons appeared all around his body.
"Black Dragon Golden Body!"
Dragon patterns spread across his skin, making him look like an ancient dragon god defying the wrath of thunder itself.
The thunder light exploded. Yun Jinghuai was blasted back a hundred zhang, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet his battle spirit only burned fiercer.
"Good. A true Marquis Champion."
For the first time, the violet-haired man showed emotion. "I didn't expect this Wilderness Realm to have such a mortal."
Even before his words finished, Yun Jinghuai suddenly erupted forward.
"With my body, I shatter the heavens!"
His spear soared like a black dragon, its tip condensing a hundred-zhang beam of darkness that shattered space inch by inch.
"Trivial tricks."
The violet-haired man sneered, gathering lightning into his palm, forming a thunder spear to clash.
Spear and lightning spear collided, releasing a deafening metallic screech.
Yun Jinghuai didn't fall back. Instead, he spun with the force, his spear changing mid-move.
"Dragon Raises Its Head!"
The spear tip arced upward like a dragon lifting its head, thrusting straight for the violet-haired man's throat.
"Hmph."
The violet-haired man twisted aside, only to see Yun Jinghuai flick his wrist, sweeping the spear shaft like a whip.
"Dragon's Tail Swing!"
The blow landed squarely on his waist, smashing him back dozens of zhang!
"What exquisite spearwork!"
"No wonder he's Marquis Champion—his spear arts have truly reached perfection."
The crowd watching cried out in awe.
The violet-haired man touched the torn fabric at his waist, his eyes finally solemn. "Mortal, you are worth my seriousness."
The thunder sun behind him split apart, forming nine smaller suns orbiting his body.
"Ninefold Thunder Prison."
The nine thunder suns fired beams of destruction, weaving a thunder net in the sky that crashed down toward Yun Jinghuai.
Yun Jinghuai roared, his spearwork shifting again.
"Soaring Dragon, Stunning Swan."
His body blurred like an illusion, weaving through the gaps of lightning. Each time his spear struck, one thunder sun dimmed!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In moments, six of the nine thunder suns were shattered.
"Impossible!"
The violet-haired man's expression finally changed. "True Body of the Thunder God!"
Boom!
The three remaining thunder suns, along with the broken fragments, fused into his body.
His figure swelled to a hundred zhang tall, his skin becoming violet crystal thunder armor. He looked like the incarnation of a thunder god descending.
"Mortal, it ends here."
His giant palm fell, carrying the might to destroy worlds.
But Yun Jinghuai suddenly drew his spear back, a cold smile curving at his lips. "I was waiting for this moment."
The black dragon markings on his body came alive, coiling along the spear shaft.
Man and spear became one.
"Black Dragon God-Slaying Spear!"
"Roar!"
A hundred-zhang black dragon burst from the spear tip, its roar shattering clouds across ten li.
The giant palm of the violet-haired man collided with the dragon.
Boom!
Heaven and earth lost all color.
Amidst the blinding light, the black dragon pierced through the Thunder God's true body, blasting a massive hole through the violet-haired man's chest.
"Pu!"
He spat out a mouthful of violet divine blood, staggering back. "Mortal…"
Yun Jinghuai stood with spear in hand, its tip dripping divine blood, his voice calm. "Gods… are nothing more than this."
The plain words made every heart tremble.
This wasn't him boasting.
No one could have imagined Yun Jinghuai would defy the heavens like this.
The violet-haired man's face twisted. "I'll show you the price for leading mortals to offend a god!"
"True Spirit of Thunder Ancestor!"
The violet-robed man let out a long roar.
Boom!
A violet beam shot into the sky, splitting the void open with a crack a thousand zhang wide.
Ka-cha!
The heavens tore apart, and a colossal hand wrapped in chaotic thunder patterns slowly pushed through. Each finger was as thick as a mountain.
Its terrifying pressure swept across the Eight Desolations. Within a hundred li, every living being trembled and fell to their knees.
"What is that…"
Yun Jinghuai's pupils contracted, his hand gripping the spear trembling slightly.
The aura from that hand was truly terrifying.
The giant hand pressed down. Space collapsed, all things turned to dust.
Yun Jinghuai clenched his teeth, pushing the Black Dragon Golden Body to its limit. His spear pointed at the heavens. "Kill!"
Man and spear became one as he struck the hand head-on.
But the hand was too overwhelming, pressing him down as his body fell toward the ground.
At that moment—
A crescent moon appeared in the sky.
From within the moon, a sword light shot out.
It clashed with the giant hand, and Yun Jinghuai, who had been crushed down, suddenly found support. His body steadied in the air.
Then people saw the crescent fade away, revealing a woman.
She wore a deep-violet robe embroidered with phoenix patterns, golden-threaded cloud pauldrons framing her snow-white neck. Nine phoenixes held pearls in her hairpiece, swaying gently with each step.
Her phoenix eyes were like black jade glazed with autumn frost, their natural upward tilt carrying a majesty that demanded respect without effort.
Among the Great Zhou crowd, someone suddenly recognized her and shouted, "The Empress!"
Others quickly reacted.
Especially the army.
"Greetings to the Empress!"
Tens of thousands of Great Zhou soldiers dropped to one knee in unison.
Many other cultivators of Great Zhou also bowed.
The one who came was none other than the Empress of Great Zhou, Yun Liyue!
The sword in her hand was no ordinary blade.
It was the Qingqiu Sword, a weapon only the Empress of Great Zhou was qualified to wield.
Nearly ten years ago, Yun Liyue had already stepped into the Martial Sovereign realm.
Later, she received Yang Cheng's Xiantian Spirit Liquid, Marrow-Washing Divine Jade, and Immortal Peach to aid her cultivation.
And unlike her past life, Yun Liyue no longer needed to exhaust herself managing matters for Yang Cheng. She could focus fully on her own Martial Dao.
Because of that, her strength had grown terrifying.
Her talent was almost equal to Yun Jinghuai's.
This pair of siblings were both fearsome.
Now, they fought side by side against a god.
Boom!
In the heavens, two figures clashed fiercely against the giant hand.
The hand's power was immense, but in the Wilderness Realm, it was already suppressed by the realm's laws.
With Yun Liyue and Yun Jinghuai's combined might, they stood their ground.
After several hundred exchanges, Yun Jinghuai pierced the hand through with his spear.
At the same time, Yun Liyue severed one of its fingers with her sword.
The hand could no longer withstand it and began to collapse.
"Pu!"
The violet-haired man coughed blood on the spot.
"Qingqiu, bear the Nation's Fortune!"
The Qingqiu Sword was a national treasure second only to the Ancestral Dragon Cauldron, capable of carrying the fortune of Great Zhou.
Yun Liyue slashed, the power of the nation's fortune pouring into her sword. It felt as though countless citizens swung their blades alongside her.
At the same time—
"Great Zhou soldiers, where are you? Kill the enemy with me!"
Yun Jinghuai's shout shook the battlefield.
"Here! Here! Here!"
"Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy! Kill the enemy!"
Tens of thousands of Great Zhou soldiers roared in unison.