Lou Yuan channels his Saint Essence into Shui Yinlan, steady and controlled, easing the damage in her meridians and stabilising her breath.

Her complexion slowly improves.

Around the cloud city walls, cultivators gather in growing numbers, all watching the aftermath in stunned silence.

Five Great Saints of the Ancient God Clan lie dead.

And the one who did it is human.

Those who have read the ancient records feel their hearts stir.

They remember a time when the human race dominated the heavens, when human geniuses suppressed all races, when even divine clans lowered their heads.

A quiet question spreads through the crowd.

Has that era returned?

Two humans, fighting across a vast realm gap.

Among the onlookers, hostility grows.

Some races exchange cold glances.

If the human race rises again, it must be crushed early—before it becomes unstoppable.

At that moment, Lou Yuan and Shui Yinlan rise into the air, preparing to leave.

Then—

A sacred golden beam tears through the sky.

Both sense it instantly.

Shui Yinlan reacts too slowly.

Even uninjured, she would lack the strength to block it.

Lou Yuan does not hesitate.

He whispers, “Tree Guard.”

Saint Essence pours from his palm, condensing into a seed that drops onto the clouds below.

The seed sprouts instantly.

A colossal tree erupts upward, trunk thick as a mountain ridge, branches spreading like a canopy of stars.

The golden beam strikes the tree.

An explosion blooms.

Light and shockwaves scatter as the tree disintegrates into drifting motes, the attack completely neutralised.

Silence grips the sky.

All eyes turn toward the attacker.

A man stands among the crowd, his appearance nearly human, yet marked by a complex sacred rune etched into his forehead.

His eyes are pure, glassy gold, without a trace of impurity.

No one doubts his identity.

A direct descendant of the Ancient God Supreme.

A murmur spreads.

“Shen Yi.”

“The Young Lord of the Ancient God Clan.”

Shen Yi steps forward, floating down until his feet touch the clouds.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he says calmly,

“after killing members of my clan?”

Lou Yuan frowns.

Shen Yi is a Great Saint like him.

Yet danger radiates from the man, sharp and heavy.

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Lou Yuan subtly shifts, moving Shui Yinlan behind him as his Saint Essence circulates.

“What do you want?” he asks.

Shen Yi takes another step.

Behind him, his Dao manifests.

A gigantic golden lion emerges, vast and majestic, its roar shaking the clouds and rattling the spirits of everyone watching.

“You already know,” Shen Yi replies.

Lou Yuan steps forward in answer.

Behind him, the Qinglong Star Formation Dao unfolds, starlight coiling into the shape of an azure dragon whose eyes glow with cosmic depth.

“Be careful,” Shui Yinlan whispers.

Lou Yuan does not turn back.

He nods once.

The air tightens.

Time seems to pause.

Then both figures vanish.

They reappear halfway between their previous positions—already striking.

Fist meets palm.

Star-energy collides with divine radiance.

Behind them, the Qinglong and the golden lion slam into each other, Dao against Dao.

The sky shudders.

The battle begins.

The moment their fists separate, the sky detonates.

Lou Yuan retreats half a step, star-energy surging as the Qinglong coils tighter behind him, while Shen Yi advances without hesitation, the golden lion roaring as sacred pressure floods the battlefield.

Shen Yi strikes first.

His arm glows with divine runes as he throws a punch.

“God Fist.”

The space ahead collapses inward, sacred power condensing into a single point before exploding forward like a falling sun.

Lou Yuan’s pupils contract.

He raises his palm.

“Tree Guard.”

Saint Essence pours outward, and a forest erupts midair—towering star-wood trees interlocking into a living shield.

The God Fist smashes into it.

Trunks explode one after another, bark vaporising into light, branches shattering into dust.

The force still reaches Lou Yuan, slamming into his chest and throwing him backwards through the clouds.

Blood spills from the corner of his mouth.

Shen Yi does not pause.

With a flick of his wrist, a blade of pure light forms.

“Synthetic—Sacred Sword.”

The sword lengthens instantly, cleaving space itself as it descends.

Lou Yuan stabilises midair, star-runes igniting around him.

“Rain Sword.”

The sky darkens.

From above, countless blades condensed from rain and starlight descend like a storm, each sword carrying cutting intent and star-law resonance.

The Sacred Sword meets the Rain Sword storm.

Light clashes with light.

Explosions chain across the sky as rain-swords shatter against divine steel, yet their number is endless.

Shen Yi’s expression tightens as dozens pierce through gaps, slicing across his armour and skin.

Golden blood sprays.

He roars, sacred flames erupting from his body.

“Sacred Fire Burst!”

A corona of golden fire explodes outward, incinerating rain-swords, burning clouds to nothing, and forcing Lou Yuan to retreat again.

The heat sears through Lou Yuan’s defences, blistering his skin and scorching his meridians.

He grits his teeth.

The Qinglong roars.

Lou Yuan steps forward instead of retreating further.

“Dragon Claw.”

The azure dragon behind him raises its claw, condensed star-energy forming talons sharper than laws.

The claw slams down.

Shen Yi raises his arm.

“Sacred Shield.”

A hexagonal barrier of divine light manifests instantly.

The Dragon Claw strikes it.

The shield cracks.

Shen Yi is driven downward, smashing into the clouds below as shockwaves ripple outward like concentric rings.

Lou Yuan follows.

He thrusts both hands downward.

“Gravity Wave.”

The Law of Gravity twists violently.

The space around Shen Yi becomes impossibly heavy, pressing from every direction, crushing his bones and pinning him in place.

Shen Yi snarls, veins bulging as sacred thunder erupts from his body.

“Sacred Thunder!”

Lightning explodes outward, tearing through the gravity field, blasting Lou Yuan backwards once more.

The thunder rips through his shoulder.

Bone cracks.

Lou Yuan coughs up blood, his arm hanging loosely for a moment before star-energy forcibly stabilises it.

Both hover in the sky now, breathing heavy, blood staining the clouds beneath them.

The onlookers are silent.

This is no suppression.

This is an equal battle.

Shen Yi wipes blood from his mouth, eyes burning brighter.

“You are worthy,” he says coldly.

He raises both hands.

Sacred runes ignite across his body.

Fire, thunder, and light converge.

“Sacred Fire—Heavenfall!”

A massive pillar of divine flame descends from above, thick as a mountain, carrying annihilating heat and judgment.

Lou Yuan’s eyes narrow.

Star-energy surges wildly.

“Star Explosion.”

He compresses his star-law to the limit, condensing it into a sphere no larger than his fist.

Then he releases it.

The sphere detonates.

Stars seem to be born and die in an instant.

The explosion tears through the pillar of sacred fire, ripping it apart from within, but the backlash slams into Lou Yuan as well.

Both are engulfed.

When the light fades, both figures are still standing—barely.

Shen Yi’s divine armour is shattered, his chest scorched black, lightning scars crawling across his skin.

Lou Yuan’s robes are gone, his body covered in burns and fractures, Saint Essence fluctuating violently.

They charge again.

Fist meets fist.

Palm meets blade.

Rain swords fall once more, met by sacred thunder.

Dragon claws clash with sacred shields.

Tree Guards rise only to be burned down by divine fire.

Gravity Waves distort space, only to be shattered by God Fists.

Every exchange tears chunks from the sky.

Every collision draws more blood.

Lou Yuan feels his meridians screaming, Saint Essence tearing itself apart.

Shen Yi feels his divine core cracking under the strain, sacred runes flickering unstably.

Neither yields.

At last, a final clash.

Lou Yuan gathers everything he has left into one strike.

Shen Yi mirrors him.

They collide.

The explosion sends both flying in opposite directions, crashing into distant clouds like falling stars.

Silence follows.

Both struggle to rise.

Both are grievously injured.

Neither can finish the other.

The clouds churn, heavy with blood and broken light, as the outcome remains unresolved.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep