Chapter 894

Li Yi looked at this elderly warrior with white hair and beard, and quietly lowered his disdain; though the man was ancient, his vital energy long past its peak, as Lord of the Northern Wastes, his strength was unquestionable.

"This Lord of the Northern Wastes, Jing He, is stronger than the former Lord of Chishan Mountain." With just one glance, Li Yi had already assessed the man's power.

In this wild world.

The strength of a great city's lord is certainly greater than that of a mountain lord, for a great city can gather resources from across the land, continuously extract chi-gold, and is far safer—no fear of being attacked by beasts outside. Most importantly, a divine-blood warrior who owns a great city can establish a divine-blood family.

"It seems the Northern Wastes lineage has truly declined—their strongest divine-blood warrior is already so old. Does the clan have no young strong ones at all?" Li Yi said calmly.

"Even in decline, the Northern Wastes lineage is not something a young mountain lord like you can defeat. And the Northern Wastes lineage has guarded this city for generations, and will continue to do so." Jing He's voice was dull, but his expression was grave.

For this divine-blood warrior named Da Yi was far too young; to become Lord of Chishan Mountain at such an age, he would surely become a god of one region.

If he cannot be defeated—or killed—today, the Northern Wastes lineage has no future.

Thus, for this Lord of the Northern Wastes, this challenge is a brutal one tied to the rise or fall of his family: he must win, he cannot lose.

"Da Yi, if you challenge me as Lord of Chishan Mountain, according to ancient tradition, should I defeat you, your Chishan Mountain shall be mine." Jing He added, hoping Li Yi would understand the cost of defeat and feel the pressure.

Li Yi smiled: "Then if you lose, Lord of the Northern Wastes, this Northern Wastes City shall belong to me, Da Yi. Your Northern Wastes lineage must evacuate immediately and never return. You won't break your word, will you?"

In this world, warriors valued promises above all; to fulfill a promise, they would even give their lives.

Lord Jing He of the Northern Wastes darkened his face, and before all eyes, he had no choice but to agree: "If I, as Lord of the Northern Wastes, am defeated, you shall become the new Lord of the Northern Wastes. I swear it here."

"Then let us fight outside the city, to avoid harming the innocent." Li Yi spoke, then immediately stepped onto auspicious clouds and flew beyond the walls of Northern Wastes City.

Lord Jing He knew clearly: today's battle would likely be his last. He immediately summoned the divine-blood warrior Da Ze and whispered: "This Da Yi, Lord of Chishan Mountain, is immensely powerful. I likely won't return. Da Ze, go back now, gather the Northern Wastes lineage, pack everything, and leave Northern Wastes City immediately—only then can our family survive."

"Lord…" Da Ze's eyes widened in shock.

He could not believe that his lord—the invincible Lord of the Northern Wastes—would speak such words.

"I am old. All I can do now is carve a path for my descendants. Da Ze, do not grieve, do not suffer. The rise and fall of divine-blood families has played out countless times on this ancient land. I never thought it would come so soon to our Northern Wastes lineage. I thought I might live to one hundred." Lord Jing He's gaze was complex.

"Go quickly. Remember: pack your things, gather the key clan members, and leave at once. Take only the direct divine-blood heirs. Everything else can be abandoned. As long as the blood of the Northern Wastes endures, there is still hope for future revival."

After speaking, he shoved Da Ze away.

Da Ze's sturdy body flew backward and crashed heavily into the lord's mansion.

Lord Jing He of the Northern Wastes cast one final, deep look at the great city where he had lived for countless years, then turned without hesitation and charged out of the city. Though he had no confidence in defeating the formidable foe named Da Yi.

But by sacrificing his old life, he could at least wound him severely and slow his growth.

The time gained would become nourishment for the Northern Wastes lineage to take root and grow elsewhere. After all, Da Ze was a Ten-Mountain Lord-level divine-blood warrior; wherever he went, he could lead the clan to survive.

He took a deep breath.

Lord Jing He's vital energy burned as if on fire; across his sturdy frame, blue, wave-like divine markings began to glow. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to his youth—bold, unrestrained, full of vigor.

Li Yi now stood on an open plain outside Northern Wastes City. His primordial spirit sensed the heavens and earth, naturally overhearing Jing He's final instructions—but he made no move to stop him.

To a cultivator of his caliber, such matters were trivial.

Moreover, a fallen divine-blood family wandering the wilds was extremely dangerous; passing merchants, city lords, and mountain lords would circle them like vultures, plundering their wealth and people until nothing remained.

The wilds had no laws; only the oldest, most primal rules applied here.

BOOM!

A sound like a meteor striking the earth rang out—Lord Jing He appeared before Li Yi. Within his body, the divine blood burned as if ignited; blue flames radiated around him, as if he had transformed.

"Burning divine blood to regain peak strength?" Li Yi's expression shifted slightly: "I didn't expect Lord Jing He to have such a trick."

This method was similar to the Four Seas and Eight Zones sacrificing their heart's blood—awakening latent potential in a final, desperate gamble.

"Good. Lord Jing He, you have not disappointed me. You settled your affairs, sent your clan away, burned your divine blood—all to fight me without distraction. No matter who wins this battle, you will die."

Li Yi shouted, praising his spirit.

"Young divine-blood warrior, you are too arrogant. Perhaps the one who dies here today will be you. You should never have challenged me—you could still have been Lord of Chishan Mountain, perhaps even a god someday." Lord Jing He stared at Li Yi like an aged lion assessing his prey.

And knowing his peak state would not last long, he wasted no words.

"So, Da Yi, fall before me, Lord of the Northern Wastes!"

The moment his voice ended,

a violent storm surged through heaven and earth. The Lord of the Northern Wastes roared, his burning divine blood erupting like an ocean of supreme divine might. Then, a spectral figure of a god appeared in the heavens.

This was a divine art.

The aged Lord of the Northern Wastes launched his full strength immediately, unleashing the divine art to catch Li Yi off guard. If this strike could wound Li Yi, it would be worth it.

The divine specter roared; ancient forces of heaven and earth awakened. At this moment, it seemed the will of a god had taken residence within Lord Jing He, elevating his power beyond his natural limits.

Such was the terrifying nature of divine arts: awakening the godly power within ancient bloodlines, granting a momentary surge of strength—but at a terrible cost. A normal divine-blood heir could use a divine art at most twice in a single battle.

The divine specter swung its arm, and from the heavens, a vast expanse of azure sky crashed down like a collapsing firmament. Without the power to cleave heaven and earth, no one could survive this blow—it would reduce all to ash.

Many warriors and sages within Northern Wastes City witnessed this scene, and were filled with shock.

"That is the Northern Wastes lineage's divine art. Our Lord is going all out." A sage sighed.

Only when there was a vast power gap would one unleash a divine art immediately—only in peak condition could one land the strongest blow with any hope of victory. If even that failed, there was nothing left to say.

"Indeed, a seasoned fighter—launching a life-or-death strike from the start. But I'm not afraid." Li Yi's eyes gleamed; silver lightning wove across his body, and his one hundred and five major dantian points resonated in unison, unleashing the power of Long Hu.

No flashy techniques—only his flesh fused with magic power, forming the simplest fist stance, then striking forward.

As this strike emerged, space twisted and tore. The roar of Long Hu shattered the heavens. The terrifying fist light seemed ready to devour all—nothing could stand in its path.

The two mighty divine-blood warriors collided.

The shockwave erupted violently; the azure sky was ripped open by the fist light. The divine specter seemed to cry out, crushed beneath an overwhelming, invincible will.

"How is this possible?" The aged Lord of the Northern Wastes stared, eyes wide, unable to believe it.

His peak divine art had been shattered outright by this Da Yi.

How?

Could this young divine-blood warrior truly be this strong?

The residual fist light surged forward.

Lord Jing He was blasted backward like a meteor, crashing heavily to the ground far away, shattering a vast stretch of earth.

But his hardened, battle-tested body allowed him to rise again from the ruins; his heavy armor had spared him from fatal injury.

"Not bad. You survived my punch. But that's all." Li Yi's expression remained calm—he now understood the gap between them.

Lord Jing He was no weakling; in his peak state, unleashing his divine art, he likely possessed the strength of a demon king. But unfortunately, he had met Li Yi today. Had he faced a true demon king, he might have had a chance.

"Lord Jing He, let me send you on your way myself."

He stepped forward, his body ignoring space, instantly closing the distance.

"Young man, don't talk so big."

Lord Jing He's divine blood still burned, his state still at peak. Behind him, the nearly dissolving divine specter reformed—though the cost was clear: his once-muscular frame now appeared shriveled.

His divine blood was draining faster than expected.

There was no time to delay—he had to wound this man.

Thinking this, Lord Jing He did not retreat—he charged forward. The divine specter behind him swung its arm, crushing the heavens, unleashing terrifying power once more.