Chapter 267: Sword and Duster

“Further talk is meaningless! Xu Yang, this is absolutely not our final battlefield. If you ever have the chance, I even hope to have a true continental peak showdown with you at Qilin Mountain when I achieve rank seven mastery! Today, neither of us can guarantee holding the other back.”

Xu Yang's expression remained calm.

Although the two had previously fought, with Feng Xiu suffering a devastating defeat, Feng Xiu had only just broken through to rank five at that time, and his strength was worlds apart from Xu Yang's. Now, he had reached the extreme of God Infant Grand Completion, and combined with his incredibly domineering sword mastery, it was not surprising that he could exert suppressive power comparable to the Tribulation Transcending Realm.

However, to say that Xu Yang lacked the ability to stop him would mean Feng Xiu was overestimating himself and underestimating his opponent.

Even without the Empress's power, Xu Yang could at least cripple Feng Xiu; if he were to strike lethally, he could likely abolish his cultivation.

In reality, Xu Yang had no intention of killing his opponent immediately.

In fact, at the Tribulation Transcending Realm, seeking breakthroughs was already quite difficult, especially breakthroughs in the spiritual domain, which required even more opportune alignment and blessings. This greatly tested one's fortune and destiny.

Keeping Feng Xiu, one of the few opponents in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces who could rival him, was not necessarily a bad thing for Xu Yang. Otherwise, if he couldn't even find an opponent, his future cultivation process would be considerably difficult.

“Fine, since we both have clear objectives and no desire to eliminate the other prematurely, let's decide it with one strike. You believe you'll heavily injure me, but I believe I will plunge your world into blankness in an instant, turning the sword power you rely on most completely into nothingness.”

When Xu Yang uttered these words, a hint of panic was clearly discernible in Feng Xiu's heart.

Although he didn't believe Xu Yang could truly achieve all that, facing such an unparalleled prodigy who always created miracles, he truly lacked the absolute certainty to refute him.

“Hmph, then, let's wait and see!”

The Empress immediately retreated, transforming into a streak of light and returning to the side of the Nine-Petal Heavenward Bloom and Bai Lianxue. As an even stronger layer of protection for the two, she released her formidable soul power, using her creation-level illusionary arts foundation to merge their location into the void, thereby avoiding the excessively violent collision of powers above the mountain range.

“Both of you, do not move erratically. A Yang and Feng Xiu's strike will be a world-shattering collision of power; the entire mountain range might be affected. I can only ensure your safety, as for the rest within the mountain range...”

The little girl, Heavenward Bloom, smiled calmly: “No need to worry about them. Everything in this mountain range is merely my plaything, nurtured by my own life force. If even I cannot protect them, then that is their fate.”

The Empress instinctively glanced at the young girl's face a few more times, thinking to herself that she was indeed an immortal blossom who had lived for countless years. Such a profound and clear state of mind was likely of a higher realm than even those human cultivators with advanced cultivation.

For other life forms, when aspiring to assume human form, power itself was not the most crucial factor; the core key was the spiritual realm.

After all, the reason humanity could become the continent's dominant species was due to their unparalleled wisdom and creativity.

In fact, the growth processes of human cultivators and other racial life forms were diametrically opposite.

Humanity's powerful intellect was its sole and most significant advantage compared to other species. Therefore, before the Tribulation Transcending Realm, the growth of human cultivators largely manifested in the strengthening of their physical bodies and the absorption and accumulation of natural energy—the so-called process of self-cultivation. Through millennia, they compensated for their deficiencies in strength and power.

It was only upon entering the Tribulation Transcending Realm that they truly began cultivating their spiritual domain and comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, marking the beginning of a new stage.

Beast races and other life forms, however, followed the opposite path. Their early growth and cultivation focused on soul strength. Only when their souls and intellect reached a certain level did they become capable of assuming human form.

An immortal blossom of Heavenward Bloom's caliber possessed sentience cultivated over hundreds of thousands of years. During this time, from its perspective as the mountain's ruler, it had witnessed the schemes and intrigues of countless cultivators arriving in the mountain range. Naturally, it had gained a thorough understanding of the continent from them, and its judgment of human nature surpassed that of ordinary people.

The Empress suddenly had a thought: in the end, all things cultivated should lead to the same great dao, with myriad paths converging! All complex cultivation traditions and disciplines should ultimately unite into a single lineage! That, she believed, should be the ultimate destination to stand at the very pinnacle of this continent.

If this concept were truly correct, then the Empress's idea would be tantamount to completely overturning the core cultivation philosophies practiced throughout the continent.

In other words, perhaps everyone who had embarked on the path of cultivation had been mistaken from the very beginning, destined never to reach the end of the cultivation road, let alone ascend to the pinnacle of the continent's cultivation world.

If there was indeed one person who could potentially touch that pinnacle, it would undoubtedly be the only one who had broken free from traditional cultivation methods—Xu Yang!

RUMBLE...

The world instinctively began to stir. Above the entire Ice Mountain Range, winds gathered, clouds shifted, and the sun and moon lost their light, truly a scene of impending apocalypse.

In the entire world, only two colors of light seemed to remain: gold and white.

The golden dao light outlined Xu Yang's form, and above his head, the familiar Yin-Yang totem reappeared. This time, its power and realm were significantly greater than before.

On Feng Xiu's side, behind him was a towering silver sword mark, representing his supreme mastery of the sword dao, which could truly contend with the power of the Tribulation Transcending Realm after his rank six breakthrough.

“Such immense power! At their level, they could truly obliterate an entire dynasty single-handedly! When they exert their full might, the energy between heaven and earth seems to stir because of their aura. These are truly formidable powerhouses!”

Bai Lianxue felt a surge of reverence and couldn't help but exclaim.

Once, she had yearned to follow Xu Yang to the ends of the earth, to stand beside him and watch the changing tides. But now, with Xu Yang having entered the Tribulation Transcending Realm, Bai Lianxue truly felt an undeniable sense of distance, an insurmountable chasm between herself and her master.

Consequently, many times, Bai Lianxue could only silently watch the Empress stay by Xu Yang's side, fighting alongside him.

All of this was a result of mismatched strength and cultivation realm.

Bai Lianxue also hesitated, wondering if her future self could truly reach the same pinnacle as them.