Chapter 1342: 断臂

Distraction in a fierce battle is a great taboo, even for a moment. How could Xing Mingzi not know this? However, the shock brought by the tearing open of the Star Suppressing Chain was simply too immense for him, akin to the collapse of his very belief system. As his mind wavered, a strange roar echoed in his ears, and Yun Che was already upon him. Those blood-red eyes, to Xing Mingzi at that moment, were no different from the eyes of a true demon.

He was a Divine Master after all, and his reaction was incredibly swift and fierce. The Star Suppressing Chain instantly whipped back, conjuring a terrifying spatial storm that forcibly warped the crimson flames and sword might that Yun Che had unleashed.

Clang!!Clink————Crackle!!The Heaven Smiting Sword and the Star Suppressing Chain collided furiously. This was a clash at the Divine Master level. The sounds of impact tore through the sky and earth, rending space itself, and shredding the eardrums of all the Star Guards. Gradually, even their internal organs were nearly ruptured by the vibrations, and several Star Guards who had just entered the Divine Sovereign realm were already bleeding from their mouths, their entire bodies numb.

Flames and starlight filled the sky, and terrifying spatial storms churned around Star God City with every passing breath. Yun Che was locked in a stalemate with Xing Mingzi – indeed, he, facing a true Divine Master, could actually match his power.

This meant that the power surging within him at that moment had truly reached the Divine Master level.

This was the very power he had yearned for, a luxury he had only dreamed of. If he had suddenly gained such power, he should have been ecstatic. Yet, there was not a trace of joy or thrill in his heart, only endless resentment and murderous intent.

Because this was not his profound energy; it was the power of life and soul, the Despair of the Evil God!

Xing Mingzi, however, grew increasingly alarmed, until he was utterly terrified.

Boom! Crack!With an explosive roar, an impossibly vast spatial chasm burst open in the air. Both men simultaneously spat blood and flew backward. But Yun Che halted abruptly in mid-air, his momentarily extinguished flames reigniting with a burst, and he plummeted towards Xing Mingzi like a falling meteor.

Xing Mingzi's blood surged throughout his body, his eyes wide and bloodshot as if they might tear apart. The malice constantly brewing in his heart was like that of a devil. He disregarded suppressing his boiling blood, let out a roar, and, risking aggravated injuries, unleashed all his profound energy without reservation. The Star Suppressing Chain, flashing with light that obscured the sky, smashed upwards.

Facing the Star Suppressing Chain, which possessed the power to shatter stars and was now imbued with Xing Mingzi's full enraged might, Yun Che's descent speed did not diminish in the slightest, nor did his trajectory deviate. The crimson flames burning on his sword blade alone suppressed the starlight of the Star Suppressing Chain... But the sword's target was not the Star Suppressing Chain; it was Xing Mingzi's very body!

“You!” Xing Mingzi was horrified. It was clear Yun Che intended to trade his life for a strike. But how could he retract the power he had unleashed with all his might? His eyes became bloodshot, and he roared, “You seek death!”

Bang!!!With a resounding explosion, Yun Che's right chest was instantly pierced by the Star Suppressing Chain. His dragon bones shattered completely, leaving a fist-sized blood-hole. Simultaneously, his Heaven Smiting Sword's power heavily struck Xing Mingzi's chest.

Blood and bone fragments splattered from Xing Mingzi's chest. He violently spat out a blood-arrow several yards high from his mouth, and his legs buckled, forcing him to his knees.

Under the immense recoil, Yun Che was sent flying high into the distant sky, blood raining down from the gaping wound in his chest. But before his body could even stabilize, he plummeted down again in the horrified gaze of everyone. The howling wolf shadow and his enraged, resentful roars sent shivers through everyone's souls.

He completely disregarded his injuries, disregarded his life, acting more deranged than a madman, more violent than a demon.

After that sword strike from Yun Che, Xing Mingzi felt all his internal organs shift, his heart on the verge of rupturing. Yun Che's injuries were certainly no lighter; his right chest was pierced by the Star Suppressing Chain, and the starlight power that had entered his body might have been enough to destroy his internal organs, or at least take half his life. Yet, he could never have dreamed that Yun Che would completely disregard his own life, and the power descending from the sky was almost undiminished compared to before.

Madman... Madman!!These two words screamed in his mind. He had no time to suppress his injuries; risking further internal damage, his Divine Master profound energy exploded once more, and he flashed away like a streak of light.

Boom!!Yun Che's sword struck empty air, and a great gush of blood spurted from his heavily wounded chest. Xing Mingzi, having used his full power to instantly move, also had all his malice ignited. He stubbornly refused to seize the opportunity to calm his qi and blood or tend to his injuries. The Star Suppressing Chain instantly pierced through space and coiled around the Heaven Smiting Sword.

Just as Xing Mingzi prepared to use the Star Suppressing Chain to entangle and pull away the Heaven Smiting Sword, a purple light flashed around Yun Che. The fiery glow transformed into purple light, and the Heavenly Dao Divine Tribulation Lightning, powerful enough to tear apart anything, instantly traveled along the Star Suppressing Chain to Xing Mingzi's body.

“Ah!!”Xing Mingzi shrieked in agony as the flesh of his right arm was completely ripped open. The Heaven Smiting Sword easily broke free from the Star Suppressing Chain. A wolf's howl echoed through the sky as he unleashed a Heaven Wolf Slash. A massive blood-red wolf shadow, covered in lightning, slammed heavily into Xing Mingzi.

Clang!!The Star Suppressing Chain, which Xing Mingzi had barely managed to recall, was directly flung away. He extended both arms, desperately holding back the Heaven Wolf's shadow. The blood vessels in his arms burst one by one, and his body was swept back as if by a hurricane. He slid backward for several miles, plowing a deep, mile-long furrow into the incredibly hard ground of Star God City before finally counteracting the power of the Heaven Wolf Slash. But before he could even catch his breath, Yun Che's blood-red eyes were already right before him.

Boom—Without the Star Suppressing Chain and no way to evade, Xing Mingzi had no choice but to raise both arms and forcibly grasp the Heaven Smiting Sword. With a tremor, the profound rock beneath Xing Mingzi's feet cracked, and more than half of his body was forcibly smashed into the ground. Over a dozen blood flowers burst open on his body. He desperately held up the Heaven Smiting Sword with both arms, his bulging eyes bloodshot and on the verge of bursting.

That was fear...He was afraid, he was experiencing fear... A supreme Divine Master, yet he was afraid.

Madman... Madman... Madman... Madman!!There truly was a devil in this world, and a mad one at that!! Xing Mingzi felt as if he were caught in a nightmare—a junior who was merely in the Divine King Realm, someone who, in their eyes, was foolishly seeking death by barging in, had actually killed hundreds of their Star Guards. He had been forced to lower himself to attack, and this junior had not died under his power, but instead could contend with him. And now, in the blink of an eye, he himself was injured and suppressed to such an extent!

Nightmare... Only a nightmare could explain all of this.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!” Yun Che was covered in blood. Yet, his Despair power refused to weaken in the slightest. With a 'crack,' the profound rock beneath them fractured again, and Xing Mingzi's body sank further, with only his arms and head remaining visible.

Just then, the sound of tearing space echoed. Two extremely powerful profound lights shot from behind, directly hitting Yun Che's back.

Yun Che's entire body trembled violently, and he was sent flying far backward, gaining two more blood-holes on his body. The two figures who had unleashed the profound light also roared and charged at Yun Che in unison, a Star God Spear and a Star God Sword stabbing directly at Yun Che's vital points.

Only the Star Guards could have acted at this moment. However, these two were by no means ordinary Star Guards; they were two Star Guard Captains. The Heavenly Leader Star God Captain and the Heavenly Origin Star God Captain, both directly under the Star God Emperor! Two Level Ten Divine Sovereigns! They were also the strongest among all the Star Guards, destined to be elders in the future.

Xing Mingzi personally intervening against Yun Che was already a great lowering of his status. None of the Star Guards nearby dared to assist, or they would surely incur Xing Mingzi's wrath. But the unfolding situation once again shattered everyone's expectations; they could no longer afford to consider the consequences and had no choice but to act.

Level Ten Divine Sovereigns, merely one step away from the Divine Master realm, they were the two strongest Star Guards in the Star God Realm. Their combined strength unleashed a might that even a Divine Master would have to take seriously.

Yun Che, already heavily injured, suffered further grievous wounds. He should have been utterly defeated, either for a short period or even a prolonged one. But just as the two Star Guards' power reached him, he abruptly spun around. The surging malice and hatred in his eyes made the two Star Guard Captains feel as if a sharp blade had pierced their souls, their hearts seizing up, and their surging power recoiled by several points. Meanwhile, the blood-red sword gleam, carrying a bloody smell, swept across them...

Boom!The terror of this power nearly shattered the two Star Guard Captains' courage. Their combined power barely held for half a breath before being completely annihilated. Flesh and blood flew from all four arms, and the Star God Spear and Star God Sword nearly slipped from their grasp. Before they could even recover from their shock, the second wave of power descended directly upon them.

“Waaaaaah!!”With a miserable shriek, the two Star Guard Captains were sent flying, spewing blood like two ruptured blood bags amidst the storm of power. Yun Che soared into the air, intending to deliver a killing blow, but at that moment, his body violently shook, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, and plummeted straight down from the sky.

Rip!!Just then, the Star Suppressing Chain, carrying dazzling starlight, pierced through space, rushing directly at the plummeting Yun Che. It then coiled tightly around his right arm.

At the other end of the Star Suppressing Chain, Xing Mingzi was panting heavily, his face covered in blood. There was no longer any trace of the dignity of a Supreme Divine Master or a Star God Elder; his entire face was twisted into a grotesque mask, more hideous than a devil. He had condescended to deal with Yun Che, yet he had been wounded so miserably by Yun Che, and had to rely on the Star Guards' sneak attack just to survive.

He felt as though all the face and dignity he had ever possessed in his life had been utterly shattered, leaving behind only heart-wrenching, endless humiliation.

The Star Suppressing Chain was firmly wrapped around Yun Che's right arm. This was a sneak attack, taking advantage of Yun Che's injuries flaring up, and it was even more despicable than the two Star Guards' ambush. With Xing Mingzi's status as a Divine Master, he would have disdained such tactics even against opponents of his own level in the past. But at this moment, his face showed only distorted pleasure, and even his voice had become hoarse and crazed.

“Yun Che... you die... die... die for me!!”Crack crack crack crack crack crack crack crack...The Star Suppressing Chain suddenly tightened, sinking deep into flesh amidst bursting blood mist, locking onto Yun Che's arm bones. Yun Che's arm twisted, and he let out a painful growl. Lightning coursed directly through his right arm as he struggled wildly, but the Star Suppressing Chain was like a demon's touch; no matter how he struggled, he could not break free, and it only tightened further.

“Ugh... Ugh-ahh...” Yun Che's body also contorted, and the lightning around him became chaotic, his growls growing more painful with each sound. Xing Mingzi poured all his power into the Star Suppressing Chain, sneering, “Locked by the Star Suppressing Chain, not even a god could break free! Now... die!”

Snap!!The Star Suppressing Chain tightened again, forcibly constricting Yun Che's entire right arm into a horrifying, twisted shape.

“Ugh-ahh...” Yun Che shrieked in pain. At that moment, his blood-red pupils seemed to burst open, and he let out a soul-rending roar, “Aaaaaaaaah!!”

He retracted all power from his right arm, then lifted the Heaven Smiting Sword with his left, savagely striking his own right arm.Bang!!“Aaaah————”Amidst Cai Zhi's long shriek, Yun Che's right arm exploded under the Heaven Smiting Sword, turning into flying flesh and shattered bone.

The horrific severity of this sword strike instantly dimmed the very heavens and earth. Having escaped the Star Suppressing Chain, Yun Che did not pause for an instant, nor did he let out another groan of pain. With his sole remaining left arm, he gripped the blood-red sword, whose flames reignited, and struck directly at the momentarily horrified Xing Mingzi.

This sword strike directly hit Xing Mingzi's crown. Xing Mingzi's skull shattered, and it felt as if ten thousand great bells were ringing in his mind as he fell straight backward...