Chapter 833: Pinnacle Duel

Xu Qing was drawing near!

From a distance, dark clouds, like colossal beasts, pressed down upon the sky, their somber hue casting an ominous shadow. As Prince Mingnan's footsteps fell, the clouds in the pitch-black night sky began to churn. They resembled ocean waves whipped up by a furious gale, with lightning flashing within them like silver serpents dancing wildly in the darkness, intertwining into ancient and mysterious runes. Instantly, a thunderous roar, like that of a beast, shook the heavens!

The colossal beast awoke, and a vast storm, connecting heaven and earth, suddenly formed around Prince Mingnan. Blade-like winds swept in all directions, parting the clouds and stirring up magma, forming a firestorm. Even the bone dragon swayed precariously in the fierce winds, looking as if it would be swept away in the next moment. The human cultivators, caught in this raging storm, were like leaves picked up by the wind, tossed upwards and then dropped back down, creating a chaotic scene of constant fluttering and shaking. Xu Qing's approaching figure was the focal point of this storm.

A sneer appeared on Prince Mingnan's lips, and the storm around his body swept outwards, as if heaven and earth had transformed into a raging demon, engulfing Xu Qing with destructive force. Xu Qing's Fourth Divine Form directly met the incoming storm, causing the expressions of the First Prince and his human subordinates to change. They had fought Prince Mingnan before and knew his terrifying power. Although Xu Qing's aura was not weak, his figure blurred and seemed exceptionally small as he swayed in the wind, engulfed by the storm. Within the storm, a deluge of fiery rain submerged the world in a blurry curtain of fire. The wind's immense power not only dispersed the clouds but also created numerous large craters on the ground. This power, this might, seemed to render all who defied it utterly insignificant in its presence. But this did not include Xu Qing.

The storm that had engulfed Xu Qing produced a deafening, earth-shattering sound in the next moment. Amidst the thunderous roar, a mysterious power, far surpassing the storm, erupted from within. It was a blade, as tall as the sky! Its cold white gleam, against the pitch-black night sky, painted a scene of black and white. It erupted from within, shaking the external whirlwind and creating an explosion like a shockwave! Boom, boom, boom! The blade light soared, illuminating the heavens and earth, breaking through everything from within the storm and directly cutting out! Furthermore, a profound spirit was contained within it: an aura that broke through all restraints, shattered all rules, and crushed all shackles. The sky trembled, and countless clouds were torn apart, forming a straight gash at least a thousand miles long, both striking and shocking! The storm, as if it had become solid, collapsed, tearing into pieces. Residual winds rolled back, and fiery rain tumbled down like meteors, creating thousand-mile ravines in an instant. If a mortal were to stand at the edge and look down, they would see a colossal, seemingly endless canyon. The might of a Returning Void combatant was thus revealed. In the blink of an eye, as the storm shattered and the Heavenly Blade shone, Xu Qing's god-like figure surged out from within, carrying boundless momentum and an unstoppable force, instantly appearing before Prince Mingnan!

Prince Mingnan's eyes showed a hint of solemnity. He threw a punch, and thunder roared! Their figures immediately clashed in the sky, both moving at extreme speeds, making thousands of contacts in a short span of time! During this time, Prince Mingnan inhaled seventeen times. Each inhale was like a dragon drawing water, not only producing a huge sound but also drawing all the surrounding power of heaven and earth into his mouth, after which his physical strength visibly increased! Xu Qing had seen this technique before on cultivators of the Yan Moon Xuantian tribe. Both the captain's explanation and Qiu Quezi's descriptions of Prince Mingnan on the journey had made Xu Qing clearly understand this technique. This was the Yan Moon Xuantian clan's Imperial-level cultivation method, named 'Thirty-Six Immortal Adamant.' More precisely, it was a peak technique formed from thirty-six Imperial-level cultivation methods, and 'Nine Breaths of Qi Absorption' was just one of them. Though it was called 'Nine Breaths,' it wasn't limited to nine times; different cultivators had different understandings and interpretations. Thus, seventeen inhales and seventeen boosts made Prince Mingnan's physical combat power terrifyingly immense! But Xu Qing resisted all of it and even counterattacked. From time to time, the Heavenly Blade slashed down, and the spirit contained within it grew stronger and clearer with each strike. Therefore, every collision between the two sides produced a tremendous sound, and because they occurred in such rapid succession, these sounds merged into a single, earth-shattering roar!

The bone dragon finally could not bear it and rolled back. Countless deep craters also formed on the ground. The clouds in the sky continued to explode, and eventually, the thick cloud cover was dispersed, revealing the clear firmament behind it! It was the night sky, dotted with stars, and beneath it, one could also see the remnant face of a shattered deity. Beneath this remnant face, Xu Qing and Prince Mingnan continued to battle, with waves of terrifying power spreading rapidly outwards in rings, centered on them.

Watching this scene from afar, both the captain and the First Prince felt a surge of emotion. “That spirit contained within the blade!” The captain’s eyes shone with intense light. “Little Ah Qing finally has his nascent Dao—it is the path of breaking all shackles, shattering all rules, breaking free from heaven and earth, breaking free from all things, breaking free from conformity!” Due to his experiences, the First Prince could not perceive as precisely as the captain, but he was equally moved, his heart shaken by the spirit of that blade. He didn't know how to describe it, but he instinctively felt a resonance, as if it was the Dao he had longed for. Therefore, at this moment, his scalp tingled, not from shock but from profound resonance.

As their hearts churned, a powerful explosion erupted in the sky. After another collision, Xu Qing and Prince Mingnan's figures retreated, opening up a hundred-zhang distance. Xu Qing, in his Divine Form, stood there, his gaze indifferent, radiating immense aura. However, a closer look revealed countless scars covering his Divine Form, though these wounds rapidly healed as his soul threads pulsed. As for Prince Mingnan, his ease had vanished. The solemnity in his eyes spread not only across his expression but throughout his entire body. He also had injuries, but with a flash of his gaze, everything instantly recovered. “To withstand my Nine Breaths of Qi Absorption! Human, your divine transformation technique is somewhat interesting… I wonder if you can withstand my second round!” Before Prince Mingnan could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed, and he sharply retreated.

Almost immediately after Prince Mingnan retreated, the spot where he had been standing collapsed with a roar, and the void shattered. An iron spike, gleaming with eerie light, shot out from the collapsed void and returned to Xu Qing's side. “You—!!!” Prince Mingnan's expression darkened. “Noisy!” Xu Qing's voice was calm. The moment he spoke, his body transformed into a bolt of lightning, rushing straight towards Prince Mingnan. At the same time, he raised his right hand and tugged at his body. Immediately, the Golden Crow Fire Crow shrieked, its cry echoing through the sky! Black flames erupted from him, forming a Golden Crow that swallowed the sea of fire between heaven and earth, then rushed towards Xu Qing. Its body rapidly dissipated as if being stripped away, until finally, only a black long spear remained in Xu Qing's hand. He gripped it tightly and hurled it fiercely towards Prince Mingnan. The iron spike also flashed brightly, surrounded by countless black lightning bolts, rushing forward as well!

A murderous intent flashed in Prince Mingnan's heart. He knew his own flaw. His father had also reminded him of it: arrogance. This stemmed from his noble status and the overall might of his clan, and it had meant that throughout his life, though he seemed to have experienced many battles, in reality, few cultivators dared to genuinely engage him in life-or-death combat wherever he went. A smooth life had brought him prestige and glory, but it had also given him an imperfect flaw! This was also why he chose to participate in the Great Hunt. He knew he needed tempering and genuine life-or-death experiences to transform his advantages into a grand Dao. And now, he had a premonition that the opportunity he had been waiting for had appeared, so the grimness in his eyes transformed into deep killing intent.

The moment Xu Qing approached, he raised his hand, spreading his palm towards the sky, and fiercely grabbed. The thick clouds shattered with a thunderous roar, collapsing over a large area, shedding countless raindrops that scattered across the earth. This also created a certain degree of obstruction for the whistling long spear and iron spike. With the clouds dispersed, the sky and starry night were revealed to a greater extent. In the starry sky, nine exceptionally bright stars shone, conspicuously arranged together, shaped like a finger! Prince Mingnan's raised right hand suddenly dropped, disregarding the black long spear, and pointed directly at Xu Qing! “The Dipper points East, spring pervades the world!” The nine stars blazed with immense light, replacing everything. The light formed an illusory finger that appeared to Xu Qing's east. This finger was colossal and radiated vast power. In Xu Qing's perception, it was as if he faced the entire starry sky. Compared to it, he could only feel minuscule; its power enveloped Xu Qing's body, binding him, and everything slowed down. “The Dipper points South, summer pervades the world.” Xu Qing's heart jolted. As he tried to decipher it, a second finger appeared to his south, and the binding force surged again. “The Dipper points West, autumn pervades the world!” Then came the third. “The Dipper points North, winter pervades the world!” Prince Mingnan's voice echoed as a fourth finger appeared to Xu Qing's north. From a distance, these four fingers were as tall as the sky, astonishingly vast, radiating terrifying power, all pointing at Xu Qing! This was precisely 'Shifting Stars and Changing Dipper,' a technique within the Yan Moon Xuantian clan's Imperial-level cultivation method, 'Thirty-Six Immortal Adamant.' The nine stars suppressed the four directions and four seasons. Wherever the Dipper pointed, nothing could exist. As the words fell, the four earth-shattering stellar fingers instantly descended upon Xu Qing.