"Ha!"
With a low cry, the air behind Chen Xiaoming rippled faintly. In an instant, a burst of radiant silver Dou Qi exploded outward, illuminating the battlefield. Within the brilliant glow, a towering phantom formed—identical in appearance to Chen Xiaoming himself.
Dou Qi surged from within his body, flooding into the phantom. In its hands, a silver spear emerged, coiled with nine golden Heavenly Dragons.
A dragon's roar echoed, shaking the void. The silver light blazed across the heavens, enshrouding the world.
Not far away, Gu Yuan narrowed his eyes in shock. He glanced at the pill in his hand and, without hesitation, swallowed it. A surge of boundless Dou Qi erupted within him.
His brows twitched—he hadn't expected the pill's medicinal force to be this potent. But with Chen Xiaoming's oppressive presence pressing in, there was no time to dwell on it.
Summoning the vast Dou Qi within him, the energy tides behind him roared and reversed course like a tsunami. In the next breath, they surged outward, spreading a terrifying ripple of energy across the world.
"Ancient Emperor Mirror!"
Gu Yuan stamped his foot, rising atop the surging tide. Boundless and overwhelming Dou Qi billowed around him. His fingers wove complex seals, condensing the Dou Qi into form. The tides surged upward, blanketing the sky.
The void trembled as black spatial fissures tore open. From the swirling tides emerged a massive ancient mirror of energy, spanning thousands of meters.
Within that mirror pulsed waves of destruction that made the heart tremble. The devastation radiated in all directions, and an immense pressure instantly engulfed tens of thousands of meters around them.
"Not good! The Clan Chief is using the Ancient Emperor Mirror!"
A Seven-Star Dou Saint elder in the distance gasped. Witnessing Gu Yuan alone unleash one of the Gu Clan's ancestral formations, he quickly retreated with Xiao Xun'er and the others in tow.
"Teacher, Father… please be safe…"
Bound by the Seven-Star Dou Saint's restraints, Xiao Xun'er couldn't help but worry. The battle had escalated beyond anything she imagined—Gu Yuan had even drawn on the Ancient Emperor Mirror!
Back in Gu Sacred City, the elder stationed to guard the city—himself a mere Dou Venerate—felt his heart clench from afar. That ancient mirror… it bore uncanny resemblance to the one recorded in the clan's annals.
Countless Gu Clan experts within the city exchanged uncertain looks, wondering which clan elder was fighting with such power to summon the might of a bygone Emperor.
"Well now… well done, Gu Yuan!"
A hearty voice resounded from the skies, carrying a terrifying soul presence. The startled experts of Gu Sacred City instantly froze at the mention.
Gu Yuan?! The Clan Chief himself?!
He was the one fighting?!
Who would dare challenge the Clan Chief here—on Gu Clan ground?!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…"
Multiple figures streaked through the air. Just as the city's defenders prepared to intercept, a startled elder of the Gu Clan recognized them. Recovering from his shock, he respectfully stepped aside to greet them.
"Gu Xing greets the young miss, and the Clan—"
"That's enough. Watch quietly,"
The leading Seven-Star Dou Saint elder cut him off curtly. His eyes swept past, but he said nothing more.
His gaze turned toward the distant battlefield. That was the true matter at hand.
A sharp glint flickered in the elder's eyes. Despite the ferocity of the battle, he remained confident in its outcome. Though Chen Xiaoming was formidable, he was no match for the Gu Clan.
And that was because the Gu Clan still bore the blessings left behind by the Ancient Emperor. The elder did not believe someone like Chen Xiaoming—without background, without legacy—could overcome the techniques left behind by the Ancient Emperor himself.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
The Dou Qi within Chen Xiaoming surged wildly, flooding into the colossal phantom behind him. Deep within, the power of the Soulfruit of Douluo and Shrouding Dragonfruit was pushed to its absolute peak by the silver Dou Qi.
His Ten-Thousand-Year Divine Armor, until now unused, materialized on the phantom. Silver light flowed from its surface, exuding a terrifying force that withstood the oppressive might of the Ancient Mirror overhead.
Chen Xiaoming lifted his head slightly, gazing at the sky. The Ancient Mirror above gathered horrifying energy—just one glance sent a chill of dread through his heart.
Hum…
The phantom behind him stirred.
Chen Xiaoming's expression shifted—he smiled. Flames ignited in his eyes.
Step.
He launched forward. The void shattered underfoot. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance. Behind him, the vast phantom moved as well, unleashing a storm of fury. The ground below cracked and split from the overwhelming pressure.
The surrounding space quaked violently. Silver light condensed on the phantom's spear, the spearpoint exuding a chilling, murderous intent. Space warped around the tip, while dragon roars echoed, leaving a path of torn reality in their wake.
Pu!
As Chen Xiaoming charged, Gu Yuan's eyes hardened. He summoned his Dou Qi and spat a mouthful of blood essence into the mirror. Instantly, the surface of the mirror shimmered with sacred glow.
Whoosh!
With grave determination, Gu Yuan's hands shifted again. The sky-darkening energy mirror trembled violently. Then, from its surface, a colossal pillar of light—thousands of meters wide—blasted forth.
Wherever it passed, space cracked and split. It was as if heaven and earth themselves were being cleaved in two.
The beam descended like a pillar propping up the heavens, aimed squarely at Chen Xiaoming.
"Break it!"
The terrifying aura locked down the void. Chen Xiaoming's silver Dou Qi erupted as he stepped forward. He merged with the phantom behind him, becoming a War God incarnate.
The silver spear in his hands condensed with immense power. He thrust—gold and silver light intertwined, hurtling forward.
The void roared. The two rays twisted into a helix, tearing open a path of darkness through space.
Chen Xiaoming and Gu Yuan both wore solemn expressions. Their Dou Qi surged wildly as the battlefield fractured beneath them, leaving massive rifts spanning hundreds of meters. The space around them was reduced to shattered ruin.
Boom!
The descending beam and the spear-light collided. Gold and silver blazed brilliantly, a radiance so intense it was blinding. The spear's piercing chill tore into the heart of the light beam.
Violent energies erupted from within. The light pillar, like a raging sea, crashed down to suppress the invading brilliance.
Hum…
The two forces balanced momentarily. Chen Xiaoming and Gu Yuan locked eyes.
Then—Chen Xiaoming's lips curled slightly into a confident smile.
"Merge!"
As the word rang out, Gu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Below the pillar of light, the gold and silver lights fused into a singular, blazing force.
In an instant, an explosion of terrifying might erupted. A dazzling beam pierced the light column.
"Detonate!"
Gu Yuan acted without hesitation. In an instant, he detonated the entire pillar of light.
A terrifying surge of energy erupted completely—heaven and earth were torn asunder. The battlefield's very void was shattered, plunged into darkness. Cracks in space, each stretching thousands of feet, split the heavens and earth, spreading out like an unstoppable tide.
The ground trembled violently. Abyssal fissures split open across the land, extending endlessly into the distance.
Even the distant Gu Sacred City wasn't spared. The residual shockwaves of the clash swept over it. The grand defensive formation, long since deployed, rippled intensely before collapsing entirely.
"Puh... puh..."
Many of the weaker cultivators were lightly injured by the oppressive aura alone. Fortunately, the Elders of the Gu Clan joined forces instantly, erecting a new defense in time to contain the devastation.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
Blood trickled from the corner of Gu Yuan's mouth. His timeworn robes were torn in several places, and a biting cold radiated from his body. He stared, gaze complicated, at the man before him—the latter's silver hair fluttered in the wind as the Dou Qi within him slowly dissipated.
There was a bitter taste in Gu Yuan's heart, but in the end, he only shook his head and sighed softly.
"You've won."
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