Chapter 1852: Crushing

Amidst the swirling dust and chaos, eyes bulged, threatening to burst. Neither the Northern Divine Realm practitioners nor the Western Divine Realm practitioners could believe their eyes.

The earth ripped open, and Long Bai's figure emerged, rising from the ground before slowly descending. His face was devoid of expression, his body immaculate, untouched by a speck of dust. His demeanor was cold, authoritative, and composed, showing no hint of disarray.

It was as if being sent flying thirty miles through the ground by Yun Che's punch earlier had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

"This... this..." The eyes of the Western Divine Realm God Emperors remained wide and bulging.

The Dragon Gods and Dragon Monarchs wore various expressions; they wanted to speak but dared not.

Although Long Bai showed no signs of injury and wasn't even covered in dust, the indentation on his forehead when Yun Che's power erupted moments ago was clearly visible to their keen sight.

The hardness of dragon bone was unparalleled in the heavens and earth, and the toughest part of a dragon's skeleton was undoubtedly the skull.

How could the skull of the dignified Dragon Monarch be momentarily caved in by a mere human's fist?

Regarding that scene, they could only tell themselves that the momentary indentation of Long Bai's skull was a visual distortion caused by spatial collapse... there was no other possibility!

All the Northern Divine Realm practitioners stood with their mouths agape, frozen in a daze.

Previously, all core fighting forces of the Devil Race had collectively battled Long Bai, and they had all clearly witnessed his terrifying power. Yet, they could never have imagined that in the very first exchange between the Devil Master and the Dragon Monarch, the unbelievably powerful Dragon Monarch would be sent flying by their Devil Master's single punch.

The shock far surpassed any joy, causing them to completely forget to cheer.

"How can... such a thing happen?" Long Wu's gaze was fixed on Yun Che as he murmured, clearly distraught.

All five Withered Dragon Venerables also showed signs of profound shock that lingered for a long time.

"His dragon aura suddenly dissipated just now, was it intentional?" Long Yi whispered.

Others might not have noticed, but powerful figures like the Withered Dragon Venerables clearly perceived Long Bai's dragon aura mysteriously retreating the moment Yun Che's power burst forth... and it dissipated by a full thirty percent.

"...It could only have been intentional, but we don't know his purpose," Long Er said.

"Hmph!"

Long Bai's low hum echoed. He stared directly at Yun Che, his face betraying no emotion, his voice still authoritative, cold, and indifferent. "It seems you haven't made no progress in the Eternal Heaven God Realm after all. Not bad."

Even after being sent flying by the first punch, Long Bai maintained a condescending posture, his words like a judge's appraisal.

It was as if he had merely feigned a weakness to test Yun Che's true capabilities.

But just as his words faded, his nose suddenly felt warm.

He quickly tried to suppress it, but the two surging streams of blood were too fierce. They still spurted directly from his nostrils, bursting into two splatters of blood before his nose under the interference of his suppressive power, staining his white robes.

In an instant, his calm and authoritative demeanor was utterly shattered.

"Keep pretending, go on." Yun Che sneered. "This pretentious act of yours is far more entertaining than when you obediently kowtowed before the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor, so entertaining it's nauseating."

"Hah... haha... Hahahahahahaha!" Cang Shitian clutched his chest, roaring with laughter. Each burst of laughter violently tore at his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain even as he doubled over with mirth.

Under the sudden, furious, and murderous gazes of the Western Divine Realm Dragon Gods, he not only didn't restrain himself but laughed even more wildly, eventually gasping for breath.

He had never in his life seen Long Bai look so utterly disgraced; it was a spectacle beyond description.

Cang Shitian's wild laughter snapped the Northern Divine Realm practitioners out of their daze. The laughter was contagious, and soon, widespread roars of laughter erupted, echoing one after another.

The Western Divine Realm practitioners... especially the Dragon Gods, all turned incredibly pale.

Had it not been for the Dragon Monarch's prior command, they would have undoubtedly struck out in furious anger.

Amidst the jarring roars of laughter, the Dragon Monarch's face remained undisturbed. He flicked his arm, wiping away the blood. Without a word, he unleashed a sudden attack.

*Ohm—*

Although Long Bai's face showed no emotion, everyone could sense that this strike was delivered with suppressed rage. Just like Yun Che, he launched a straightforward, unadorned punch directly at Yun Che. The moment his dragon aura unleashed, space tightened, and the heavens and earth trembled.

This was the strongest power in the current era, the supreme dragon might that suppressed all living beings and controlled the entire world.

Even from a great distance, an overwhelming sense of suffocation washed over them, instantly silencing the wild laughter of the Western Divine Realm practitioners, their hearts rapidly filling with deep dread and worry.

Yun Che's long hair and robes whipped wildly in the approaching storm. He neither retreated nor evaded, instead meeting Long Bai with a punch of his own... still without any dark profound light.

"Seeking death!" The Seven Dragon Gods exclaimed in perfect unison.

The power of a Dragon God was so overbearingly mighty that it crushed everything in its path. At its peak, profound arts became a hindrance.

Among all beings in heaven and earth, who dared to directly contend with the Dragon God race in terms of pure power... let alone the Dragon Monarch!

The powers of the human and the dragon collided fiercely under countless concentrated gazes.

The space spanning a hundred miles instantly warped, then violently shattered after reaching its extreme distortion, scattering countless violently swirling black fissures across the heavens and earth.

At the epicenter of the distorted space, Yun Che and Long Bai remained fixed in place, their powers balanced, neither receding a single step.

"Wh-what!?" All the Western Divine Realm practitioners cried out in alarm.

"This... what's going on?" The Jade Dragon God roared, "Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Yun Che had actually withstood Long Bai's power head-on, using only pure profound energy!?

Blood mist still lingered around his chest and back, telling everyone that he was still in a forcibly self-created state, yet he had directly confronted the Dragon Monarch's power.

Long Bai's eyebrows twitched slightly. He, who had always maintained an indifferent and arrogant demeanor, could no longer remain composed at this moment.

*Rumble!*

A spatial storm surged. As their power finally erupted, the two figures separated, and a soul-shaking dragon roar pierced the sky.

Amidst the dragon roar, a white shadow flickered on Long Bai's arm, revealing a thick, pale claw print that shot directly for Yun Che's heart.

This pale claw print signified that Long Bai had unequivocally unleashed his full power with this strike.

Yun Che's expression darkened. He clenched his fist, pouring power into his right arm, and launched a punch.

*Boom-crack!*

It was like ten thousand thunders shaking the world. Half of the God Emperors hundreds of miles away were knocked to the ground. The entire world visibly trembled.

Within the void-storm created by the collision of two immense powers, Yun Che and Long Bai's figures astonishingly remained fixed in place.

This sight shocked the Dragon Gods and Dragon Monarchs, nearly ripping their hearts apart.

Under Long Bai's clearly furious full power, Yun Che... still hadn't retreated a single step!?

"Hehehe..." Facing Long Bai, who was almost within reach, Yun Che's face showed a cold, sinister smile. "Long Bai, surely, this isn't your full power, is it?"

Long Bai's features visibly twisted, a sign of losing control.

"Aren't you Dragon Gods renowned for your unparalleled strength and physical bodies?" Yun Che scoffed disdainfully. "You, an old dragon who has lived for over three hundred thousand years, can't even overpower someone barely thirty years old in terms of strength, and you still have the nerve to call yourself the Dragon Monarch? I'm ashamed for you!"

*Bang!!*

With an explosive sound, the two were sent far apart. Yun Che flipped, stabilizing himself in mid-air, while Long Bai slid backward several miles through the air before finally coming to a halt.

*Roar!!!!*

Without a moment's pause, before anyone could fully recover, an even more soul-shaking dragon roar reverberated through the heavens and earth. A pale dragon shadow appeared behind Long Bai, instantly amplifying his already astonishing dragon might.

The dragon claw shadows covering his hands also became more solidified.

The entire world was completely enveloped by this supreme dragon might. As Long Bai's figure charged towards Yun Che, it seemed as if the whole world was toppling down upon Yun Che.

"His Highness, the Dragon Monarch... is enraged," the Pure Heart Dragon God murmured.

"What exactly is going on with Yun Che's power?" The White Rainbow Dragon God, meanwhile, seemed not to have fully recovered from his earlier shock.

Yun Che tilted his head back, his gaze icy. Facing the Dragon Monarch, who had unleashed his full dragon might, he still met him head-on with pure profound energy and pure strength.

*Bang!!*

*Boom—*

Their powers collided, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack. The Dragon Monarch, in his full power, faced the Devil Master, who used pure profound energy and strength. Across this divine realm, devastated by calamity, they unleashed an earth-shattering clash of might. The howling, swirling storm of power obliterated everything in its path with every passing moment, utterly terrifying.

One, two... ten... a hundred...

Hundreds of profound lights pierced the sky, hundreds of power roars shook the star realm... yet neither retreated or fell.

Even with his full dragon might unleashed, the Dragon Monarch had still failed to defeat the Devil Master, who was using pure profound energy!

"Retreat... retreat further!"

There were too many severely wounded Northern Divine Realm practitioners, and even at their considerable distance, the terrifying aftershocks of the power were still too dangerous.

Chi Wuyao unleashed her demonic energy, urging everyone to retreat another three hundred miles, but her demonic eyes remained fixed on Yun Che, who was fighting Long Bai in the distant sky, flickering with an incredibly deep, strange light. "His cultivation clearly hasn't advanced significantly, so why... is there such astonishing growth in his power?" Qianye Ying'er murmured.

She was the one most familiar with Yun Che's profound cultivation and the limits of his power.

Yet, in less than three years in the Eternal Heaven God Realm, without any breakthroughs in his profound cultivation, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.

Shui Meiyin softly said, "Actually, Brother Yun Che's profound energy cultivation reached the peak of Divine Sovereign Realm Level Ten about a year after entering the Eternal Heaven God Realm, but he failed repeatedly when trying to break through. He told me it was a restriction set by the Heretic God in his profound veins because once he entered the Divine Master Realm, he would inevitably exceed the limits that this world's current operational laws could withstand."

"In other words, Brother Yun Che, with his Divine Sovereign Realm Level Ten cultivation, is already at the absolute pinnacle of this era; no one, no living being, can surpass him."

"And the two years after that..." Shui Meiyin smiled faintly, "he completely mastered and wielded two other types... or rather, one type of power."

"The complete mastery of this power allowed him to reach another realm not only in profound energy but also in physical strength and soul power. Especially... when facing the Dragon race, it will create an irresistible crushing dominance."

Shui Meiyin's last sentence caused a strong tremor in the hearts of Qianye Ying'er, Mu Xuanyin, and Chi Wuyao simultaneously.

The terrifying physical strength of the Dragon Monarch could directly repel the combined efforts of the Three Yama Ancestors.

In Yun Che's exchanges with Long Bai, although the profound energy he unleashed was powerful, it was clearly not as imposing as Long Bai's, yet he managed to remain undefeated against Long Bai's power every single time.

At this moment, they finally knew the answer.

*Boom!!*

In the shattered sky above, Yun Che and Long Bai's fists and claws met.

By this point, Long Bai's features were tightly contorted, and his dragon eyes no longer held any peace, instead churning with lava-like fury.

Yun Che, however, still wore the same cold smirk on his face, a smirk that seemed unchanged from the very beginning.

"It seems this truly is your limit," Yun Che's tone hinted at a faint disappointment. "Given your earlier posture of hands behind your back, chest out, and disdain for the world, I thought you had immense capabilities. Turns out the 'Dragon Monarch' is just a laughingstock."

Immense power surged again through Long Bai's arm, but it was still firmly resisted by Yun Che, not allowing him to retreat an inch.

Yun Che lowered his gaze, glancing at the mysterious white glow enveloping Long Bai's arm and body, his eyes slowly turning cold. "The strongest Dragon Monarch in the history of the Dragon God Realm—what a majestic and resounding title, shining through the ages. Do you remember who granted you that title, and who bestowed upon you this wretched life that has lasted over three hundred thousand years?"

"..." Yun Che's words undoubtedly struck the most forbidden and vulnerable part of Long Bai's soul. His pupils constricted sharply as if pricked by needles.

"And this layer of special light dragon power on your body," Yun Che's gaze grew even colder. "Her thirty thousand years of grace allowed you to grow far beyond your kin. Three hundred thousand years of tempering by the Divine Water of Life gave you a dragon body far superior to others of your race, and the power of the miracle of life contained within the Divine Water of Life, over long years, combined with your dragon aura, formed this divine protective power, making you invincible in this world."

"Compared to the recompense of merely providing her a place of peace, the boons she bestowed upon you... you couldn't repay them in a hundred lifetimes!"

"But... you actually..."

The killing intent, which had been held in check, now pierced directly into Long Bai's pupils. Yun Che's hand transformed from a fist into a grasp, fiercely clenching Long Bai's white-glowing dragon claw. "This layer of protective power she bestowed... are you worthy of it?!"

*Pop...*

With a barely audible pop, Long Bai's protective white glow mysteriously dissipated in an instant... just as it had when he was previously sent flying by Yun Che's punch.

The source of his protective white glow was the power of the miracle of life, gradually derived and bestowed upon him by three hundred thousand years of tempering by the Divine Water of Life.

Its existence was a barrier of despair to others. Even powerful individuals like Chi Wuyao only managed to wound him after expending great effort to temporarily break through it.

But under Yun Che, who fully controlled the miracle of life... it could be dissolved with a mere flick of a finger.

Following the dissipation of the white glow, as a strange light flickered in Yun Che's eyes, Long Bai's dragon aura violently trembled, then receded like a gushing flood.

*Crack!!*

Amidst the roar, Long Bai's wrist and all five fingers simultaneously shattered. The sound of the Dragon Monarch's bones breaking was so sharp it almost ruptured eardrums.

His dragon body also plummeted, crashing through the earth like a falling star.

Yun Che's figure also vanished from the air. When he reappeared, his body was no longer enveloped in pure profound energy but in a terrifying dark demonic light that sent shivers down one's soul.

His expression, too, had shifted from his earlier indifferent smirk to one of grim malice and venom, as if he had suddenly been possessed by a cruel, vengeful demon.