Chapter 1897: Responding to Ever-Changing Situations with Unchanging Principles

After Xu Yang finished speaking, the Void Master Divine Weapon in his palm immediately transformed into a large dark golden pair of scissors. After hovering beside Xu Yang for a while, guided by his spiritual power, it locked onto the aura of the black-clad man in front of him and launched a new round of attacks towards his body.

The giant scissor form, being the strength of a Void Master Divine Weapon, made it difficult for the opponent, despite their Martial God-level power, to evade its attacks under Xu Yang's powerful spiritual tracking.

After just a few rounds of clashes, Xu Yang used the intricate form of the Void Master Divine Weapon to shred the black-clad man's concealing outer garment.

As expected, without his outer garment, a constantly flickering dark golden mark on the man's chest perfectly confirmed all of Xu Yang's previous judgments. This was because such marks were exclusively borne by disciples loyal to the dark forces.

And the fact that Nanggong bore a dark golden mark proved that the mastermind controlling him from behind the scenes was at least as powerful as a Gold-Robed Cultist.

It was even possible that the Priest himself had intervened!

"No! How could this be? Uncle Nanggong, quickly tell me what happened to you? Who did this to you?"

Lan Ling'er had not believed Xu Yang's judgment before, but the appearance of this dark golden mark left her speechless, forcing her to finally rejoin Xu Yang's side.

Clearly, her pleas to Nanggong were futile. However, because Xu Yang had acted first, the Martial God-level expert Nanggong, bearing the dark golden mark on his chest, finally showed a furious expression, his eyes fixed intently on Xu Yang.

Then, an incredibly vast martial aura quickly emerged, driven by the mark on the man's body. He became completely enveloped by a thick martial energy, extending three feet around him.

"What a terrifying aura! Uncle Nanggong's current state seems even stronger than his original cultivation power!"

Lan Ling'er was very familiar with Nanggong, one of her sect's seven elders. Witnessing the release of such a domineering martial aura, she concluded that Elder Nanggong, now controlled by a powerful hidden figure, was likely intent on killing her.

Xu Yang gently shook his head. With his extensive combat experience, he could tell at a glance that the man would not regain consciousness anytime soon.

"I must suppress him with overwhelming force, then infiltrate his soul world to have a chance at eliminating the spiritual control over him."

Lan Ling'er instinctively grabbed Xu Yang's arm, casting an imploring gaze at him.

"Please, Big Brother Xu Yang! You must help Uncle Nanggong regain consciousness. All those uncles in the sect watched me grow up, and I truly don't want anything to happen to them."

Xu Yang gently patted her hand to reassure her, then immediately entered a serious combat state. In this state, Xu Yang was practically synonymous with invincibility.

Lan Ling'er then witnessed the familiar overwhelming dominance and unparalleled sharpness that she had seen from Xu Yang before, appearing once again.

As he stepped forward, golden light radiated naturally from every part of his body. The light was soft but possessed an irresistible, divine influence.

"Nanggong, look into my eyes and submit to me. This is the only choice you can make now. Follow your true self and surrender to me; do not struggle against absolute power."

Xu Yang's soul voice continuously permeated Nanggong's lost soul world. It indeed had some effect.

Nanggong began to tremble involuntarily, but this trembling did not last long. Soon, a rapidly intensifying crimson color flooded his pupils.

At the same time, he began to roar wildly, his furious bellows fueling the martial aura emanating from him, which then surged continuously towards Xu Yang.

Each raised palm signified the unleashing of an incredibly powerful energy wave. Immediately after, Nanggong's personal divine weapon suddenly let out a soft cry, and then a dark blue spectral light rose from behind him. It was Nanggong's beloved personal sword, emitting a piercing roar.

Guided by his martial aura and cultivation power, it lunged fiercely towards Xu Yang. Wherever the sword passed, dark blue specks of light shimmered in the surrounding space.

This was a sword technique imbued with frost attributes. Seeing such a technique appear from Nanggong, Xu Yang unhesitatingly swapped the Void with the Cold Spring.

"I'd truly like to see if your mere divine weapon can contend with my Cold Spring in a clash of frost powers."

Xu Yang showed no hesitation. The moment the Cold Spring Master Divine Weapon revealed its full edge, the entire void was completely locked down by its icy blue aura. The difference between the two was like a stream compared to the ocean, or a firefly to the full moon – not even in the same league.

In just one encounter, the rampant sword energies of the two divine swords collided in the void. In an instant, Nanggong's personal sword was shattered by Xu Yang's terrifying sword energy.

Watching his beloved sword shatter and fall before him, Nanggong plunged into an even deeper state of rage.

He began to condense all the surrounding martial aura within his fists and palms, attempting to engage Xu Yang in a new round of close-quarters combat. Two streaks of light crisscrossed and collided continuously in the void, as the purest martial powers vied for supremacy in the void battlefield of the Dark Night Imperial Capital.

However, throughout the entire exchange, Xu Yang only used one hand, keeping the other behind his back. Furthermore, he remained stationary in one spot, receiving all of Nanggong's various Martial God-level techniques.

He displayed the grand demeanor of a grandmaster, meeting all changes with stillness.

Lan Ling'er was quite aware of her Uncle Nanggong's strength. Originally, when Xu Yang decided to help suppress the enraged Nanggong, Lan Ling'er had felt some concern for Xu Yang.

She didn't know what her usually amiable and friendly uncle would be like when completely enraged. However, after witnessing their high-intensity exchange, Lan Ling'er realized her worries for Xu Yang had been completely unnecessary.

If Xu Yang hadn't considered Lan Ling'er, any single top-tier profound art released would have inflicted a fatal blow on Nanggong.

"Alright, I've given you enough rounds to make your moves, and you haven't gained even the slightest advantage. It's time for this game to end."

After Xu Yang finished speaking, his body suddenly vanished from its spot. When he reappeared, materializing his true physical form, the glint of his sword was already pressed against Nanggong's neck.