A Thunderous Roar, A Clash of Titans

Long Chen’s furious roar exploded like a clap of divine thunder, shaking the heavens with its sheer force. It was as if an enraged god had bellowed in wrath. This single strike drained every last ounce of his Purple Blood Emperor Flame.

Moments earlier, Long Chen had tested the waters and realized one thing—Xiao Li was a cunning, devious opponent. His innate power was terrifying, yet he refused to unleash it fully. That meant one thing—he was holding back some sinister trump card.

Long Chen wasn’t about to let his enemy dictate the battle. Instead, he took full control—pouring all of his Purple Blood Emperor Flame into this one devastating attack.

At last, Xiao Li stopped hiding. With a furious roar, an eerie vision materialized behind him—a monstrous bird, its massive eyes glowing like a crimson blood moon.

A bizarre rune flickered within those eyes.

The rune looked incomplete, yet the moment it appeared, a holy radiance surged around Xiao Li. His aura erupted like a raging volcano, shaking the world with its might.

“You should feel honored. You forced me to use my Emperor Rune.”

Xiao Li’s voice dripped with killing intent. He pulled back his warbow, and countless divine symbols in the sky converged—forming a golden arrow of pure destruction.

BOOM!

The golden arrow radiated unstoppable divine power, infused with the very essence of law and Dao. The sheer killing force made heaven and earth tremble.

With a deafening roar, the golden arrow shot forward—slamming into Long Chen’s "十"-shaped attack. It struck the precise center—a perfect bullseye.

KABOOM!

The impact shattered Emperor Flames, obliterated countless Dao runes, and sent both Long Chen and Xiao Li hurtling through the air, vomiting blood.

The very fabric of space was torn apart. Laws crumbled, and the battlefield before them was reduced to absolute nothingness.

Even the ground had vanished.

And yet—Evilmoon’s barrier stood firm. The mighty saber’s protective field had safely transported Demon Cloud Mountain away from the chaos, shielding it from annihilation.

The sheer magnitude of the clash jolted Yue Xiaoqian and the others awake. They had already completed their inheritance, so waking up early wouldn’t hinder them much.

However, as they opened their eyes, they were met with a horrifying sight—the battlefield was collapsing, a swirling abyss of blackness devouring space itself.

“We have to help Lord Long Chen!” Fei Shuang cried out.

She still had only one arm, but her aura was entirely different now. The blessing of her ancestors had begun to condense her Emperor Flame, marking the start of her true evolution.

Despite having just stepped into the Gui Yi Realm, her power had skyrocketed—enough that she felt she could finally fight alongside Long Chen.

“You just stepped into the Gui Yi Realm, and your forced awakening left flaws in your fusion. You are in no condition to fight.”

Evilmoon’s voice echoed across Demon Cloud Mountain—lazy yet dripping with wicked amusement.

“Besides… do you really think Long Chen needs help against a mere small fry?”

Its words sent chills down their spines. There was something deeply unsettling about that voice—so evil it made their souls tremble.

Xiao Li wiped the blood from his lips, his grip tightening around his bow. He sneered at Long Chen.

“That was your full power? Impressive… you actually blocked my arrow, even though it contained the power of my Innate Laws.”

His eyes gleamed with malice.

“But after that attack… you must be completely drained. Meanwhile, I still have at least half of my source power left. Tell me, have you decided how you want to die?”

The purple divine radiance around Long Chen was slowly fading. That one strike had indeed exhausted all of his Purple Blood Emperor Flame.

Long Chen glanced at the gigantic crater before him, eyes narrowing.

This bastard… was hiding far too much power.

And yet, despite the tension, Long Chen couldn’t help but find the situation funny.

This guy could have wiped out the entire battlefield in an instant. But instead of using his overwhelming strength, he chose to play dirty tricks.

And because of that?

He got his entire clan wiped out.

Long Chen turned his gaze to Xiao Li, his eyes landing on the rune within the avian beast’s eye. A smirk curled his lips.

“Let me guess… that fancy rune of yours isn’t complete, is it?”

Xiao Li’s face twitched.

“That’s why you can’t fully control its power yet. And let me guess again—your so-called allies in the Heavenly Demon Clan are using the same method, improving their runes little by little.

But you?”

“You’re just a dumbass who got tricked into coming here before you were ready.”

Long Chen’s words were like a whip to Xiao Li’s pride.

His veins bulged with fury. He clenched his jaw so hard it felt like his teeth would shatter.

Because Long Chen was completely right.

Xiao Li had just finished a closed-door retreat to strengthen his Innate Rune, intending to refine it further before making his next move.

This Innate Rune was a treasured legacy of his Dark Night Divine Owl Clan, containing the laws of his ancestors.

For their race, bloodline inheritance was everything. If he nurtured the rune with his ancestral blood, he could eventually forge a perfect version—one that would be his key to God Emperor Ascension.

A fully formed Innate Rune meant one foot already in the Emperor Realm.

Once he left the Heavenly Domain Battlefield and endured his final tribulation, he would become an Emperor.

After facing divine lightning, his rune would refine itself, absorbing even greater heavenly laws, paving the way for his rise to Godhood.

But right now—his rune was only half-complete.

Even so, compared to ordinary Gui Yi Realm cultivators, he was already a monster among monsters.

Then came the Heavenly Demon Clan’s offer.

They promised rich rewards if he led his clan to annihilate the Primordial Demon Race.

Xiao Li, eager to test his newfound strength, agreed without hesitation.

But now…

Now he was having second thoughts.

Something felt off.

Had the Heavenly Demon Clan set him up?

No… it didn’t add up. If they had known Long Chen was here, they would have sent their entire army.

After all—the Qiankun Cauldron was an ultimate divine treasure.

Xiao Li clenched his fists, forcing down his doubts.

“Hmph. Even an incomplete Innate Rune still contains Law Power. You, who have not even stepped into the Gui Yi Realm, can’t possibly understand what that means.”

He sneered.

“Law Power is the key to Godhood. Compared to it, your brute strength is nothing but a joke.”

Despite losing his entire clan, Xiao Li no longer cared. As long as he could seize Long Chen’s Qiankun Cauldron, it would all be worth it.

“If my rune were fully formed, you wouldn’t survive a single attack.” He smirked.

As he spoke, his fingers slowly reached for his bowstring.

Just as he was about to pull—

“Tch. Still playing dirty?”

A brilliant burst of rainbow light erupted.

Long Chen vanished.

“PAH!”

A thunderous slap sent Xiao Li flying.

His hand had barely touched the bowstring when Long Chen appeared before him—too fast to react.

Long Chen grinned coldly.

“Brute strength?”

“Then let me show you what REAL brute strength looks like.”

His body ignited with seven-colored flames.

Compared to the Purple Blood Emperor Flame, this power was a raging inferno, countless times more violent—enough to devour the heavens and obliterate the earth.