As Ji Xiongjing's voice fell, all the Celestials present made their move. With the Old Ancestor of the Yun family secretly manipulating karma, no one noticed anything amiss. The next second, the seven figures closed in for the kill, their seven divine weapons illuminating the night sky.
"Well come!"
Before Lu Yang's voice had faded, his entire body exploded into a mass of Innate Primordial Qi. Then, like a sweeping gale, he appeared before Ji Xiongjing in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, a blood-red glint flashed in Ji Xiongjing's eyes.
His divine weapon was the 'Heavenly Son Sword'. The moment the divine sword was unsheathed, the winds and clouds above Heavenly Capital City churned. All the common people within Heavenly Capital City felt their hearts sink, and for reasons unknown, they suddenly lost all their strength and collapsed weakly to the ground.
In its place, Ji Xiongjing's divine power surged dramatically.
"Die for me."
The next second, Ji Xiongjing slashed out with his sword. Its power even surpassed that of a Sword Qi Talisman, and when it struck Lu Yang, it nearly scattered his qi-transformed body. But that was all.
The Innate Primordial Qi clone could gather and disperse at will. It feared fists, kicks, blades, and swords the least, which was why it was a counter to the Martial Dao. Otherwise, he would not have sent this clone here.
In the end, the Martial Dao was just a crude system that Lu Yang himself had created. Even though the Old Ancestor of the Yun family had perfected it to the fourth step, allowing a grand master's physique to rival that of a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, it still had immense flaws.
A cultivator of the Immortal Path only needed to master a single counter divine ability to defeat them with ease.
"Everyone, attack together!"
Seeing that his one sword strike had failed, Ji Xiongjing immediately retreated.
"Tie him down! Don't let him use those talisman arts from before. Force him to fight us hand-to-hand."
Even without his command, the other Celestials had already charged forward. Leading the charge were 'Barefoot Daoist' Chang Qingjing and 'Calamity-Crossing Divine Monk' Xuanku. One Daoist, one Buddhist, they now flanked him from left and right in a pincer attack.
At the same time, 'Bright Jade Fairy' Hua Xiangrong descended from the sky, while 'Alliance Lord of the World' Guan Qiankun took Ji Xiongjing's place to face Lu Yang head-on. Only 'Demonic Blade' Ding Feiying remained hidden in the shadows, like a venomous snake ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.
Boom!
Lu Yang fought with wild abandon, sometimes re-forming his body to cast talismans, other times dispersing his form to dodge attacks. For a time, he fought one against seven with ease! In the distance, the Old Ancestor of the Yun family, watching in secret, shook his head at the sight.
"Too weak..."
Although from a purely level-based perspective, a Martial Dao Celestial was actually superior to Lu Yang's Innate Primordial Qi clone, that wasn't how it was actually calculated. If Lu Yang's Innate Primordial Qi clone was at its peak and fully equipped, then a Martial Dao Celestial was at its peak with nothing to its name.
The two seemed similar, but in reality, the difference was like heaven and earth. This was an innate deficiency of the Martial Dao; a cultivation system developed for less than a hundred years was no match for the Immortal Path.
"... So be it. I will make a move."
With a thought, the Old Ancestor of the Yun family immediately began to push karma, gradually guiding the situation, which had originally favored Lu Yang, toward a victory for the Martial Dao Celestials. The result was reflected in the state of the Martial Dao Celestials.
During the battle, not only did the seven Martial Dao Celestials not feel any fatigue, but they grew more excited the longer they fought. Countless ingenious ideas and inspirations erupted like a geyser. And the aura of the divine weapons in their hands grew ever stronger.
These divine weapons had been designed by the Old Ancestor of the Yun family and given to Ji Xiongjing as an 'opportunity'. They were perfectly suited to each Celestial's own martial arts. The combination of the two could originally unleash a power approaching that of a divine ability.
However, as the Old Ancestor of the Yun family forcibly pushed karma, this power that was originally only 'approaching' the level of a divine ability had, in an instant, officially reached the level of a divine ability!
Boom!
It was another siege, but this time, Lu Yang clearly felt that something was wrong. When his Innate Primordial Qi clone re-formed again, a corner of his robes was missing. 'Their attacks are working.'
Lu Yang's heart shuddered slightly. His clone was perfect and flawless. The only possibility for this to happen was that a portion of his Innate Primordial Qi had been ground away by the Celestials.
'It seems that Foundation Establishment cultivator has made a move!' Lu Yang's thoughts raced. Although he didn't sense anything unusual and his divination revealed nothing, he still immediately identified the culprit.
Very well, the act is just about over. After all, he still needed this Innate Primordial Qi clone to perform a grand play. If he was careless and it got destroyed, that would be a huge joke.
"Hooo..."
The next second, all the Celestials present heard a deep breath, and the surrounding air currents began to churn violently, as if the wind and clouds were being swept backward. The sound was melodious and clear, like a true dragon breathing in and out of heaven and earth. Following that, the vast expanse of white Qi re-formed.
Lu Yang's figure emerged, no longer dodging, but wearing a smile of utter confidence.
"Get lost!"
In an instant, a powerful aura erupted from Lu Yang's body. A halo of light appeared behind his head, like a round mirror, reflecting wind and thunder within it. The Supreme Firmament Mirror!
As a weapon, this Spiritual Treasure was countless times stronger than the so-called divine weapons in the hands of the Celestials. The moment it erupted, it immediately decided the situation.
Boom!
The mirror's surface rippled, and rolling wind and thunder exploded around Lu Yang, directly blasting the Celestials away and severely injuring all of them on the spot. Yet even so, the Celestials showed no sign of despair. Instead, they became even more excited.
All other distracting thoughts vanished from their minds, leaving only one: 'Kill! Kill this person!' Supported by this intense killing intent, all the Celestials seemed to be divinely aided.
Difficulties that had previously stumped them were now overcome in a single stroke! Only 'Sage Heart Scholar' Wang Boyuan, though filled with the same killing intent, moved with a hint of struggle. He seemed to have realized something but was unable to break free.
He could only go with the flow, a trace of fear showing only in his eyes that could gaze upon fortune and observe qi. 'Rest easy, Brother Wang. You are a talented man.
I will guide you in the next life.' Lu Yang sighed inwardly, but his actions were swift and decisive. Another blast of wind and thunder sent the Celestials flying back again.
Then, his entire body began to blossom with a dazzling light. In an instant, the void trembled! His blood qi was like a dragon, piercing through the clouds to the heavens, as if a sky-supporting pillar had descended, calming the winds and waves of the moonlit night.
It also broke through the dark clouds, revealing the bright, clear moon. What was once a dark and windy night was, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a night of bright moon and sparse stars. Between heaven and earth, only Lu Yang's long cry remained: "This immortal's Great Dao is complete!"
Crack!
The next second, the void shattered, and a massive rift appeared above Heavenly Capital City. Lu Yang leaped up, his figure flashing as he instantly vanished into it. Shattering the Void!
Shattering the Void! The immense visual impact even shocked the Celestials back to their senses. Their eyes were filled with horror, as if they had just witnessed an unimaginable martial arts legend.
Was this the realm above Celestial? Shattering the void and ascending, transcending the mortal world from then on... How similar was this to the immortals in storybooks?
What secrets did it hold?
"I saw it..."
Among the seven Celestials, only Ji Xiongjing was muttering under his breath. He was the chess piece most valued by the Old Ancestor of the Yun family, and thus received the greatest blessing of fortune, consuming almost all the fortune he would have for the rest of his life.
Yet because of this, his comprehension had also climbed to the absolute peak of his life. He felt as if he had seen Lu Yang's method for opening that void rift.
It was nothing more than using a single point to break a surface, first finding the connecting point in the void, then breaking it, and stepping through before it had a chance to close...
"... Hahaha! I can do it too!"
The next second, Ji Xiongjing suddenly threw his head back and laughed. With the 'Heavenly Son Sword' in hand, he too slashed at the void, and a rift appeared! Without any hesitation, Ji Xiongjing strode proudly into it.
The next second, all the rifts closed with a boom. The remaining Celestials stood where they were, staring blankly at the spots where Lu Yang and Ji Xiongjing had been.
"They... broke through?"
"How could such a thing happen!"
"Shattering the void, shattering the void... So there really is another realm above Celestial, to shatter the void and ascend, to be free from the mortal world forever?"
Meanwhile, outside the Refining Arts Secret Realm. After Ji Xiongjing followed in shattering the void, he saw Lu Yang, who had shattered it a step before him, standing inside a great hall, looking at him with a strange expression.
"I really don't know whether to call you lucky or unlucky..."
"Where is this?"
Ji Xiongjing turned his head, only to see a crystal sphere. But what he saw within that crystal sphere sent an icy chill down his spine. It was the bewildered Celestials.
Besides them, there were countless miniature buildings within the crystal sphere. Ji Xiongjing recognized them. They were the cities of the Great Zhou, the land under his rule.
"This is... the Great Zhou!? How is this possible..."
Ji Xiongjing was no fool. On the contrary, to be able to stand out from so many martial artists and be chosen by the Old Ancestor of the Yun family, his intelligence was definitely not low. Thus, he quickly came to his senses and looked at Lu Yang in utter shock.
A scam!
It was all a scam! What shattering the void? It was all fake!
The next second, Ji Xiongjing spun around abruptly, attempting to shatter the void again to send a message to warn the Celestials within the secret realm.
"Don't shatter the void..."
Boom!
Before his voice could fade, a brilliant light descended from the heavens, fixing him in place. Immediately after, the second senior brother of the Three Rivers Society, Luo Wuya, strolled into the great hall.
"What a superior piece of material for corpse refining!"
Luo Wuya's face was filled with delight.
"Is this something you cultivated in the secret realm, Junior Brother? To actually have the strength of Qi Refining Perfection... how did Junior Brother cultivate it?"
Lu Yang cupped his hands and smiled.
"If Senior Brother likes it, then I will gift it to you."
"Good! Then many thanks, Junior Brother!"
The next second, Luo Wuya decisively formed a hand seal. Ji Xiongjing instantly felt an icy qi invade his entire body, and his Celestial physique was actually unable to block it! On the verge of death, he thought of many things.
But in the end, this grand master of martial arts, this Celestial of a generation, this martial arts legend who shattered the void, only had time to let out a furious roar at Lu Yang, the perpetrator of this scam: "Beast... you beast!!!"
(End of Chapter)