On Old Yin Mountain.
The thunder serpent that Su Lingchen had transformed into had tightly coiled around Yang Cheng.
Its terrifying force drowned him completely, as if it wouldn't take long before Yang Cheng was reduced to ashes.
"Su Lingchen, you finally brought out a card worth something."
Suddenly, Yang Cheng grinned, flashing his white teeth.
In the next moment—
Everyone was stunned to see Yang Cheng's figure vanish from where he stood.
Buzz!
It was as if he could traverse space itself, appearing directly in front of Su Lingchen.
This was Yang Cheng's Shrinking the Earth to an Inch.
The others didn't know this divine ability. Watching it, they could only feel baffled.
Even more so, not just them—even Su Lingchen himself was struck with sheer horror.
That strike just now had been his ultimate killing move.
But Yang Cheng had shattered it with such an unfathomable method.
"Escape."
At last, Su Lingchen felt true fear toward Yang Cheng.
The peak Martial Sovereign was decisive.
The thunder serpent he had become sprouted a pair of thunder wings from its back.
With a flap, Su Lingchen shot away at incredible speed.
"Leave?"
Yang Cheng's face stayed calm.
The next instant, he vanished again and reappeared right in front of Su Lingchen.
Slash!
His sword came down.
The sword river crashed down like judgment.
"Block it!"
Su Lingchen's expression twisted as he frantically circulated his true energy to resist.
But his strength was collapsing fast.
Even at his peak, he had been unable to suppress Yang Cheng. How could he possibly block him now?
Rip!
The thunder serpent body Su Lingchen had taken on was cleaved open with a terrible crack.
And still, he didn't die. His resilience was that great.
Yang Cheng wasn't in a rush.
The suffering Xu Qingxue endured, Su Lingchen would taste it too.
Puff!
Yang Cheng's sword pierced through Su Lingchen's skull.
Black and White True Fire burst forth.
"Ahhh!"
Su Lingchen screamed in unbearable agony.
The peak Martial Sovereign finally felt for himself what true pain was.
"Su Lingchen, weren't you so fond of tormenting others? Now savor this for yourself—doesn't it feel delightful?"
Yang Cheng said coldly.
"Yang Cheng, I yield!"
Su Lingchen roared.
Those words shattered the last illusions countless martial cultivators had of him.
So the peak Martial Sovereign of the Azure Jade Realm would also surrender and beg for his life.
In the face of death, he showed no unbending pride—he looked no different from an ordinary man.
"Enough."
Yang Cheng's voice was flat. "Hearing that, I don't even feel like tormenting you anymore."
Puff!
He pulled out his sword and swept it sideways.
Su Lingchen's head flew off instantly.
Even as a peak Martial Sovereign, his severed head still held awareness. But it was hopeless—without reattachment in time, he would surely die.
The surroundings fell into utter silence.
The minds of countless people went blank.
"Su Lingchen… was killed by the Crown Prince?"
Qin Wuya's voice trembled.
"It's real."
Liang Hong swallowed hard. "Su Lingchen has been beheaded by the Crown Prince."
All around, countless martial cultivators finally came back to their senses.
The Great Zhou martial cultivators erupted like a tidal wave, nearly everyone raising blazing eyes toward the youth above.
"Crown Prince!"
"His Highness, the Crown Prince, is peerlessly invincible!"
"Ah! From this day on, His Highness the Crown Prince will be the god in my heart!"
Many were so excited they spoke incoherently.
Some even kowtowed to Yang Cheng with all their might, treating him as a god to whom they offered prayers.
Meanwhile, the martial cultivators of the Great Zhao Empire looked as if their parents had died.
No matter what—
The name Yang Cheng was destined to blaze across the Wilderness Realm like the noonday sun.
Then—
Boom!
Heaven and earth quaked.
In the next instant, a hole tore open in the heavens.
From it descended a man with violet hair.
His arrival was like a thunder sun bursting forth, his aura shaking nearly the entire Wilderness Realm.
"What is that?"
Countless people felt their breath stop.
The suddenness of the violet-haired man's appearance left them all reeling.
Even those with little strength sensed it—
This man's oppressive force was far greater than Su Lingchen's.
Buzz!
The violet-haired man's gaze fell on Yang Cheng.
In that instant, a spiritual pressure like heaven and earth shattering crashed down on Yang Cheng.
The weight of that pressure was terrifying.
But to Yang Cheng, it was familiar.
This violet-haired man was a True God.
A True God had descended.
Too bad—Yang Cheng had seen more True Gods in his past life than he could count.
To think this one could suppress him with mere spiritual pressure was nothing but a fool's dream.
Yang Cheng's body trembled slightly, but he stood tall and straight.
"Hm?"
The violet-haired man's eyes sharpened.
At once, he lifted his hand to strike at Yang Cheng.
His massive palm pressed down, carrying an indescribable destructive force.
Yang Cheng's body plummeted.
Worse, Old Yin Mountain itself was being crushed downward beneath that palm, its hundred-zhang height forced down by thirty zhang in one instant.
The palm strike was just about to collide with Yang Cheng's true energy when—
Buzz!
A spear of light shot forth, cutting across the sky like a rainbow piercing the sun, smashing into the terrible palm strike.
Boom!
Palm force and spear might exploded together.
Then, the crowd saw a heroic figure stride through the sky.
"Marquis Champion!"
The Great Zhou soldiers were the first to roar in excitement.
Marquis Champion!
Countless martial cultivators' hearts shook violently.
This man was none other than the Marquis Champion of Great Zhou—Yun Jinghuai.
He had finally appeared!
Yun Jinghuai's eyes locked on the violet-haired man above. "I sensed your spying intent long ago. I've been waiting for you. Finally, you couldn't resist appearing!"
His words sent a shock through the crowd.
So Yun Jinghuai hadn't stayed away out of fear of Su Lingchen, and certainly not out of fear of Zhuang Lin.
He had been waiting for a god to descend!
The violet-haired man's eyes flashed cold as lightning as he swept his gaze toward Yun Jinghuai. "A mere mortal dares to provoke me?"
"Mortal?"
Yun Jinghuai angled his spear, heroic aura blazing. "So what if I am mortal? This spear of mine may yet slay a god!"
"Arrogant."
The violet-haired man scoffed. His divine might surged, the sky darkened, and countless bolts of thunder rolled like raging dragons.
Boom!
He raised his hand, and a colossal thunder palm covered the heavens, crashing down toward Yun Jinghuai as if to smash him into dust.
"Good timing!"
Yun Jinghuai bellowed, his spear glowing with black light. At its tip, a hundred-zhang spear beam condensed and shot straight into the heavens.
Boom!
The spear beam and thunder palm collided, unleashing a shockwave that could destroy worlds.
Old Yin Mountain collapsed entirely, the ground for ten li around cracked apart.
Even though countless martial cultivators had retreated far away, the shockwave still hurled many of them off their feet.
"Too terrifying!"
"So this is a god-level battle?"
People stumbled back in horror, yet none could stop themselves from staring up at this peerless clash.
"Yun Jinghuai's strength… it's actually this strong."
Liang Hong was aghast.
"He can fight a god."
Qin Wuya gave a bitter smile.
He thought back to himself, once daring to imagine challenging Yun Jinghuai. Now he realized just how laughably ignorant he had been.