Chapter 902: The Joining of the Lord of the Wildlands

The Lord of the Divine Tree burned his divine blood to sustain his divine art, transforming into a giant whose unleashed power shocked everyone—he was like a blazing, roaring sun, intent on incinerating the enemies before him.

Li Yi withstood the opponent’s blow outright, nearly destroying the King Beast Weapon; such a level of combat power, if placed on Earth, would be invincible, capable of sweeping through countless great realms—but in the Wildlands, among the Lords of the Hundred Mountains, this strength was still not formidable; only by becoming a regional deity could one truly stand firm in the Wildlands.

“Fall back.”

Yet at this moment, Li Yi abandoned the King Beast Weapon and raised his fist, striking forward with a single punch; upon his knuckles swirled five-colored qi, which then interwove into an ultimate punch of light.

This punch contained the power of Long Hu, five Dao methods of dividing rivers to form land, and also the divine power within his bloodline.

The punch of light struck the Lord of the Divine Tree’s chest like thunder; the terrifying force erupted, forcing the giant’s thirty-zhang-tall body to stagger backward, as if even the ancient earth behind him would shatter under the impact.

“Wah!”

The Lord of the Divine Tree spat a great mouthful of blood—golden and searing—with a single punch leaving a deep fist imprint on his chest; five-colored qi mingled with silver divine light, flowing from the wound and corroding his entire body, filling him with unbearable pain.

“Da Yi.”

Ignoring the agony, the Lord of the Divine Tree roared loudly, snatching the golden flames coiling around him and shaping them into a rope-like whip, lashing out at his opponent.

Clearly, after taking that blow, he dared not engage Li Yi in direct combat—his massive body could not withstand many more punches without shattering completely.

Li Yi raised his arm to block, but the whip of golden flame wrapped tightly around his body.

The heat, capable of melting all things, scorched him as if he were inside a colossal furnace; within this sea of fire, Li Yi sensed an ancient will assaulting him.

This fire was no lifeless thing—it possessed spirit.

“Fire cannot melt thunder.”

Li Yi now summoned divine power, his body wreathed in roaring silver lightning; these bolts interwove, forming the hardest possible armor, resisting the flames’ incineration.

But at this very moment—

From within the flames, the Lord of the Divine Tree’s colossal fist slammed forward, glowing with golden radiance, dazzling and brilliant, like a great sun rising into the sky.

Li Yi did not dodge or evade; his fist moved faster, becoming silver lightning as he met the blow head-on.

The two forces collided again, their terrifying shockwaves sending golden airwaves and countless lightning bolts spraying outward, affecting hundreds of li of land.

Had the Wildlands’ heavens and earth not been so resilient, such power could have shattered an entire continent.

Within Chishan Mountain—

Two hundred cultivators of the Three Flowers Realm joined forces to form an array, preserving the mountain range from the battle’s residual force, yet even this level of combat left all faces slick with cold sweat.

It was terrifying.

This was nothing less than two deities recklessly unleashing their power—the heavens and earth could barely endure it; even Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi, both at the peak of the Three Flowers Realm, could not intervene, forced to watch from afar.

“Two Immortal Maidens, shall I secretly assist Tai Yi? I know a method to invert yin and yang; if I channel the spiritual power of all fellow Daoists, I can shake his mind and disrupt his primordial spirit. If he reveals even the slightest opening, Tai Yi will seize the chance and win immediately, avoiding prolonged danger.”

At this moment, an old Daoist could not help but whisper to Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi.

Xiang Xiangzi said: “No need. Tai Yi hasn’t even used his full strength. The opponent has burned his divine blood and unleashed his divine art, yet Tai Yi still holds his own divine art in reserve. Moreover, after taking that blow, the opponent clearly struggled to endure it. Though they appear evenly matched, Tai Yi is superior. Save your inversion of yin and yang for later.”

“What I fear now is whether another Lord of the Hundred Mountains will join this battle.”

Her gaze then turned toward a distant direction.

There—

The Lord of the Wildlands rode an exotic beast, standing at the very edge of the battle’s residual force, his five-meter-tall frame like an iron tower, unmoved despite the storm and gale.

The Lord of the Wildlands now watched the battle in silence; he clearly saw that the Lord of the Divine Tree’s defeat was merely a matter of time—peak state from burning divine blood lasted only so long.

Once the peak faded, it would be his death.

But if the Lord of the Divine Tree perished, could he himself escape unscathed?

“What a headache.”

The Lord of the Wildlands sighed inwardly—he knew full well that once the Lord of the Divine Tree died, he would be next; the dignity of a regional deity could not be challenged.

Glancing at the group of warriors who had followed him from the Wildlands, he made his decision.

“Earth General, heed my command: lead the warriors of the Wildlands line back home immediately, never return to Chishan Mountain or Divine Tree City again.”

“Lord, are we retreating?” the warrior named Earth General asked at once.

“No. Only you return. I remain here to fight. This Lord of Chishan Mountain is too powerful—the Lord of the Divine Tree will inevitably fall. But with my aid, we might yet block this Lord of Chishan from becoming a deity.”

The Lord of the Wildlands’ gaze was calm, showing no fear—only a surge of battle-lust.

“Lord, this is unacceptable—we should fight together!” the warrior from the Wildlands refused to leave, wanting to stand shoulder to shoulder with his lord.

“Do not defy my order. Leave now. If I prevail, I shall return to the Wildlands. You need only watch for news from the Merchant Lord. Go—our ancestors’ will shall protect us.”

After speaking, the Lord of the Wildlands strode forward toward the center of the battle between the two giants.

Soon, light blazed from his body—but the warriors of the Wildlands line did not wield fire or thunder; they commanded the ancient earth. His light was not dazzling, yet it was heavy and steady.

But even this was not enough.

Without burning divine blood to sustain divine art, he had no right to join this battle; only by surpassing the Lords of the Hundred Mountains and entering the realm of a regional deity could he stand against the Lord of Chishan Mountain.

Yet once divine blood was burned, there was no turning back—even if he survived, he would forever lose the chance to become a deity, and his strength would continuously decline, never returning to his peak.

Yet despite knowing this cost, the Lord of the Wildlands hesitated not—he ignited his divine blood.

Roar!

The roar of the Lord of the Wildlands echoed across the land; another color appeared in the heavens—the color of earth—and with the manifestation of omens, another ancient will and power descended.

The next instant—

The Lord of the Wildlands too transformed into a giant over thirty zhang tall, his feet crushing the scorching earth, cleaving endless lightning, swinging heavy fists and feet as he charged into the battlefield.

He struck with the same punch, slamming hard against the Lord of Chishan Mountain, Da Yi.

Facing this sudden assault—

Li Yi felt as if a mountain range had crashed into him; the overwhelming force sent him flying backward, the lightning entwined around his body ruptured, revealing the crimson-gold hue of his battle armor beneath.

But soon, the crimson-gold armor, shattered by the blow, began to crack and peel away from his body.

“Lord of the Wildlands.”

Beside him, the Lord of the Divine Tree, panting, drenched in golden blood, barely holding on, saw this and instantly revived his spirit—he had not expected the Lord of the Wildlands to burn his divine blood to aid him at this moment.

“Lord of the Divine Tree, you look pitiful—can’t you hold on? Are you about to die? Hah! Let me help you—and finish off the Lord of Chishan Mountain once and for all!” the Lord of the Wildlands roared with laughter, making even the earth tremble.

“After defeating the Lord of Chishan Mountain, I’ll give you half of the Divine Tree,” the Lord of the Divine Tree said without elaboration, offering only this reward—for it was the only thing he could now give in return.

“Keep your pile of wood for firewood—I’ll bathe in the Lord of Chishan Mountain’s blood and become a regional deity!” the Lord of the Wildlands bellowed, charging again toward Li Yi with his fists.

He did not fight for wealth—he fought for the Wildlands.

Only by defeating this opponent could the Wildlands line survive unharmed—or if he died here, at least the Wildlands line would not be dragged down.

This was why he refused to leave.

Sometimes he truly envied the Lord of the North Wind—even if he defied the Lord of Chishan Mountain, he had no fear, for behind him stood a regional deity.

“So you’ve finally decided to join?” Li Yi now fixed his gaze on the Lord of the Wildlands, surprised by his decisiveness—he had burned his divine blood, unleashed his divine art, and meant to fight to the death.

He had thought the man would sit back and watch the tiger fight the dragon—or even slip away.

Clearly, as one not of the Wildlands, he still did not fully understand its people.

Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his gaze to the Chishan Mountain behind him, then shouted: “None of you interfere. Fall back. I will face them alone—you only need to guard Chishan Mountain.”

Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi, who had been about to rush forward to assist, immediately halted.

They dared not defy Li Yi’s command and reluctantly withdrew.

Yet both knew Li Yi did this to protect them.

Lords of the Hundred Mountains who burned divine blood and unleashed divine art had reached an astonishing level of power—Three Flowers Realm cultivators at peak were no longer sufficient; one misstep from a single punch could mean death.

“Lord of Chishan Mountain, forgive me—but for the Wildlands, even if I break ancient laws, I shall defeat you today!” the giant form of the Lord of the Wildlands roared as he charged again.

“Stop dreaming—you cannot defeat me. Don’t forget—I haven’t even unleashed my divine art yet.” Li Yi’s gaze swept across them like twin lightning bolts; then, from the thunder-sea above his head, the divine figure within fully awakened, slowly stepping forth as if descending onto Li Yi’s body.

This sight startled both the Lord of the Divine Tree and the Lord of the Wildlands.

“Stop him!”

Though his condition was dire, the Lord of the Divine Tree continued burning himself, his massive body once again becoming a blazing sun as he charged straight at Da Yi.

The Lord of the Wildlands wasted no time—he surged forward at blinding speed, his fist, heavier than mountain ranges, slammed down in a furious assault, as if aiming to shatter the entire world, each strike carrying unimaginable force.

(End of Chapter)