Chapter 2523: Breakthrough

Yi looked at him coldly. "Your father is one of the ancestral shamans. Why would you degrade yourself by becoming a Celestial God and then fight against us, the Shaman Tribe?"

Gu licked his forked tongue, a hint of disdain flashing across his face. "Degrade myself? My bloodline is noble. I don't need to actively seek anything; the Celestial Court directly appointed me as a Celestial God. Don't be a sore loser." He then laughed again. "Oh, right. I heard you've done many great things for the Shaman Tribe over the years and gained quite a reputation within the tribe. But I haven't seen the Celestial Court appoint you to any official position, have I? I suppose the difference lies in you not having a good father like mine."

Gu patted his chest, covering his mouth, and said with a look of "apology": "Oh dear, my apologies. I almost forgot you have no parents. You're an orphan." Though he said he was sorry, there was not an ounce of apology in his tone, only profound mockery.

Yi erupted in fury. "You're asking for death!" He immediately threw a punch at his opponent. As he flew halfway, a thick serpentine tail coiled around him, lifting him directly in front of Gu.

Gu stared coldly at Yi, who was struggling desperately within the serpent's tail. "You, a rising star among the Shaman Tribe, have no idea of the power of our noble bloodline. How dare you fight me? Today, I'll show you how to write the word 'death'!" As he spoke, his serpentine body began to tighten, coiling around Yi until his body creaked and his veins bulged.

With a roar, Yi's body began to swell rapidly, quickly transforming into a giant hundreds of feet tall. Gu could no longer hold him and had to release his coils, retreating to the side.

"Hiss!" Gu felt he was losing face, and his body also began to swell. Soon, a colossal serpent, far larger than any dragon Zu An had seen in later generations, rose upright. Its massive body was like a small mountain. Yi did not stop either; his entire body continued to grow, soon exceeding thousands of feet in height.

The two stared intently at each other. Then, without knowing who moved first, they both roared simultaneously and collided. The violent dust and thunderous roars caused Zu An and his companions, who had run far away, to feel a surge of panic. They turned back just in time to see Yi's enormous body locked in combat with a sky-piercing colossal python. Wherever they passed, not only the forest where they had first been, but also many nearby mountaintops collapsed like crumbling tofu.

The Mermaid Queen watched, her face pale. "The combat power of these ancient Celestial Gods is truly astonishing." Previously, when the demon world invaded, the demons were strong enough to cause despair. But now, compared to the beings in this world, those demons seemed like mere trifles.

"I wonder if Brother Yi can get away successfully." Seeing Gu's enormous serpentine body gradually begin to coil around the giant's neck, Zu An couldn't help but feel worried. After all, Yi had gotten involved in this matter to help him. If something were to happen to Yi because of it, Zu An wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Don't worry," Yumon Baitei reassured him. "His strength is considerable; he held back when he sparred with you before." She simultaneously looked at the giant being choked in the distance with an unreadable expression.

"I hope so."

No sooner had Zu An spoken than a sharp cackle echoed from ahead. "You still have time to worry about others? You should worry about yourselves instead." A massive figure of a horned owl blocked their path.

Zu An released the two women's hands and looked at the opponent with a calm expression. "Do you truly think we're afraid of you?" Before this, he had only been wary of Gu. While Qin was powerful, he wasn't without a way to deal with him.

The calm, indifferent look in Zu An's eyes made Qin's heart inexplicably skip a beat. *This guy is too composed,* he thought. *Could he actually defeat me?* He quickly shook his head, dispelling the absurd notion. "Bluster is useless. I've just received instructions from my master: you must die. However, as for these two beautiful women beside you, my master might spare their lives."

Sensing Qin's lecherous gaze, Yumon Baitei's expression turned cold upon hearing him. She immediately conjured the Northern Emperor's Demon-Subduing Talisman. Soon, golden clouds began to churn in the sky, and then two golden-armored warriors emerged from the clouds.

Seeing this, Qin's face immediately changed. "You can command celestial soldiers and generals? How is this possible!" He frantically flapped his wings, attempting to evade, but it was too late. The two golden-armored warriors had already reached down from the clouds. Their movements appeared clumsy, yet their speed was incredibly swift; in the very next second, they seized Qin's pair of wings. Qin struggled wildly, but his entire body remained unable to break free from the two golden-armored warriors' massive hands.

Seeing this, not only the Mermaid Queen but even Zu An was stunned. *What's going on? When did Sister Ling'er become so strong?* More importantly, the oppressive aura emanating from those two golden-armored warriors made even him feel insignificant. He had seen the Northern Emperor's Demon-Subduing Talisman before, but never with such immense power.

Yumon Baitei then noticed their shocked reactions and quickly feigned a strained expression, saying, "Hurry, I can't hold on much longer!" Indeed, the illusions of the two golden-armored warriors seemed to begin cracking, and the strange bird looked as if it could break free at any moment.

Notes emanated from the zither in the Mermaid Queen's hands, and Zu An felt his entire being filled with various blessings. Without hesitation, he immediately used the Star-Shattering Profound Seal, a tenfold attack! The Taia Sword in his hand transformed into a brilliant sword light and slashed towards Qin directly ahead.

Seeing this, Qin showed no panic. Instead, a hint of mockery appeared on his face. "A mere mortal hopes to harm me?" As he spoke, black, white, and red divine light reappeared on his body. As long as this divine light was present, no matter how powerful the opponent's sword energy, it could not affect his physical body.

Zu An seemed to have anticipated this. He had already activated the Gluttonous Sky-Swallowing Art. An invisible black hole seemed to appear around Qin, swallowing all three colors of divine light.

"This... this is impossible!" Qin finally panicked, screaming in utter terror. But it was too late. The brilliant sword light swept through him. Even his Celestial God body couldn't withstand it, and he was split directly in half. His two halves even attempted to rejoin, but the brilliant sword light contained countless destructive sword *qi*. Ultimately, his body was completely reduced to dust by the onslaught of sword *qi*, vanishing with the wind.

Zu An was startled, for he felt a massive surge of *yuanqi* flowing from the heavens and earth towards him. His experience bar had been maxed out at Level 79 for a long time, but no matter how much his *yuanqi* increased, he could never break through the Level 80 threshold, as if an invisible restriction was in place. This time, an unprecedented amount of *yuanqi* surged in, along with something else he couldn't quite describe. He finally felt that invisible restriction seemed to be on the verge of breaking.