Chapter 39: Eternal

"Luo Shan boy, I wasn't going to look for you, yet you came to my doorstep." Viscount Luo Fugude, seeing strong enemies surrounding, did not get angry but smiled, raised his long sword, and said loudly. "Viscount, hope you are well." Luo Shan, hovering in midair, laughed broadly. "You set a trap against me that day; today on this Cold Mountain Summit, I'll settle the score!" "I could not ask for more." Viscount Luo Fugude said coldly. "Qin Yan, how are you!"

"Father…" Qin Yan clutched Luo Shan's waist, and upon seeing Viscount Luo Fugude's stern face not far away, felt fear. "My dear daughter, today you come with this boy to confront me?" the Viscount sneered. "Fine! Fine! Luo Shan boy, you have some skill." "Viscount." Luo Shan said proudly. "Do not involve Qin Yan in the dispute between us. In today's battle, life and death belong to destiny; if I die, I hope you will still, as before, take good care of her."

"My own daughter, why should you look after her?" Viscount Luo Fugude said coldly. "Luo Shan boy, then make your move."

"Viscount, why such haste?" Ming Guang stepped forward, smiling. "This boy is a slip‑through fish of the Angel Clan, already a top wanted target of my Spirit God Hall, and the feud with the Viscount will have to be settled later." He saw Ge Te win, Viscount Luo Fugude's expression turned gray‑defeated, assuming their side's chances were now considerable. Although Luo Shan had consecutively defeated Ge Te and Ao Er Deng, he was still young, his strength modest, and his victories owed to luck. The plan to revive the Supreme Deity depended on Luo Shan; if Viscount Luo Fugude killed him, years of effort would be lost in an instant. Thus, before the two could strike, he uttered this challenge.

"Ming Guang, this boy is of great importance to me; if you intend to capture him, old Luo Fugude will be the first to refuse!" Yet Viscount Luo Fugude frowned, turned to Ming Guang and said. In the Viscount's mind he had never abandoned the desire to siphon Luo Shan's blood‑thirsty soul, and if Spirit God Hall obtained Luo Shan, they would surely succeed in reviving the Supreme Deity; then, not only his Luo Fugude Villa but the entire continent could not oppose Ming Guang! "If that's the case, there is only one battle left." Ming Guang shook his head and sighed. "Ming Guang." At that moment, Ba Fa Li Ya glanced at Luo Shan, instinctively stepped forward. "This boy has a huge connection to my daughter; Ba Fa Li Ya begs you to spare him."

"Your daughter?" Ming Guang frowned. "Ba Fa Li Ya, the matter of reviving the Supreme Deity is a great affair, not a child's play." "Ming Guang, for you reviving the Supreme Deity is top‑priority, but for me, Pei Er's dying wish far outweighs it." Ba Fa Li Ya said calmly. "If you wish to deal with Luo Shan, I have no choice but to stand opposite you."

"Ba Fa Li Ya!" Ming Guang shouted. "Are you turning traitor?" "I have no such intention." Ba Fa Li Ya replied. "When fighting the Viscount, I will of course give you my full support. But now, if I watch this boy die at your hands, my daughter, beneath the Nine Springs, will not rest in peace."

"Ming Guang." Ge Te hesitated, then spoke. "This boy severely wounded me before, but today, if he hadn't spoken up, I would have already died under La Bi Ke's spell; I, Ge Te, owe him a life. Ming Guang, for the sake of my and Ba Fa Li Ya's honor, please spare this boy for now. Reviving the Supreme Deity sounds grand, but once the Supreme Deity returns to the world, what kind of blood‑soaked turmoil will this continent face? Ming Guang, don't think you can command his power; a figure like the Supreme Deity is far beyond our level to control. When he raises his hand, clouds form; when he lowers it, rain falls, and Spirit God Hall will be merely a tiny piece on his board."

"Ge Te, I am the Grand Hall Master of Spirit God Hall, not you." Ming Guang looked at his longtime comrade, speaking word by word. "The matter of reviving the Supreme Deity tolerates no dissent. If you wish to oppose me, then come."

"Ming Guang, even if you won't speak, I will still battle you." Luo Shan laughed broadly. "When you captured my parents and threw them into the Spirit God Hall's great prison, you never imagined that one day this slip‑through fish would rise again, did you?" "Boy, if you intend to save your parents, then come at me. I, Ming Guang, am what kind of person to fear you?" Ming Guang gave a slight cold smile, his staff extending, black light beginning to gather at its tip. By now Luo Shan had already set Qin Yan down, smiled faintly, and the tip of his long sword also gathered pure white light. It turned out he had merged magic and swordsmanship: the long sword was a staff, the staff a long sword!

With a earth‑shaking roar, Luo Shan shouted, and a pure white orb of light shot out with thunderous force— the Angel Clan's secret art, Holy Light Vanquish Demons. At the same time, Ming Guang's Dark Arrow was already drawn and released. His cultivation was far deeper than La Bi Ke's; this strike concealed a transformation, and compared with Luo Shan's awe‑inspiring blow, it was hardly inferior.

The two magical beams clashed in the air, and with a boom they shattered into countless fragments. Before the light faded, a second attack already surged. In that interval, Luo Shan's figure stepped several paces toward Ming Guang. Ming Guang realized Luo Shan intended to use swordsmanship against him, but lacking a counter, he could only continue bombarding with beams. Then, in a flash, Viscount Luo Fugude leapt into the fray, his left‑hand beam blocking Ming Guang's attack, his right hand sword swinging, now fighting alongside Luo Shan.

The three could be called the strongest of the age; their melee turned the sky dark and the earth dim. Among them, Ming Guang was the weakest; facing Luo Shan and Viscount Luo Fugude's exquisite swordwork, he kept retreating. Ge Te, long friendly with him, saw Ming Guang faltering; though aware of the huge gap, he resolutely charged with his sword, three consecutive strikes barely deflecting Luo Shan's thrust, but the magical power attached to Luo Shan's blade shocked him, causing his qi and blood to surge, and he stepped back.

"Ge Te, withdraw quickly!" Ming Guang knew that with Ge Te's power, entering such a melee would inevitably cause severe injury; his anxiety rose as his beam's power surged, actually breaking through Viscount Luo Fugude's left‑hand spell, and, still strong, continued toward Luo Shan's chest. Luo Shan, fully countering Viscount Luo Fugude's rapid assault, suddenly saw the spell before him and hastily swung his sword to block. Though he broke it, cracks already appeared; Viscount Luo Fugude seized the moment for a fierce onslaught, instantly gaining the upper hand.

Fearing Luo Shan's injury, Ba Fa Li Ya let out a clear whistle and leapt out from among the Spirit God Hall's people. Though his magic was not as strong as the three on the field, it was only slightly inferior to Ming Guang's. With his aid, Luo Shan's pressure eased instantly. Viscount Luo Fugude knew Ba Fa Li Ya's prowess; in the earlier battle at Luo Fugude Villa, Xili Xi Ya, Ge Te, and Ming Guang were all severely wounded, and only Ba Fa Li Ya managed to retreat unscathed. Now that Ba Fa Li Ya joined the fray, seeing everyone as enemies, he became cautious, no longer charging recklessly, but using his long sword and magical light to shield himself completely. This shift from offense to defense lightened Ming Guang's and Luo Shan's pressure, allowing them to launch full attacks on the opponent. However, Ge Te's strength compared to Ba Fa Li Ya was far weaker; after a hundred exchanges, Ming Guang's side suddenly faced peril. Mei Ke Lun and Sa Ke Sen exchanged glances, then roared in unison, each drawing their staffs and joining Ming Guang's side. Thus the situation reversed again, with Luo Shan and Ba Fa Li Ya now outnumbered two‑to‑one, gradually being overwhelmed. Especially Ba Fa Li Ya, though adept at protective and defensive spells, faced Mei Ke Lun and Sa Ke Sen's overwhelming power; a single lapse let Sa Ke Sen's Dark Arrow pierce his left shoulder, blood gushing, not a mortal wound but a clear decline. It seemed that within a few hundred strikes he would perish under their relentless magic.

Hei Sen had watched coldly from the start. He was close with Ba Fa Li Ya and was rather dissatisfied with Ming Guang's tyranny; therefore, even though Mei Ke Lun and Hei Sen entered the battle, he never acted, remaining the only Hall Master of Spirit God Hall who merely observed. Seeing Ba Fa Li Ya wounded, Ming Guang's side remained aggressive, and Hei Sen felt a pang of sorrow as if a fox mourned a dead rabbit. He thought that if Ba Fa Li Ya died, Luo Shan would surely fall, allowing Ming Guang to capture Luo Shan and fulfill the power to revive the Supreme Deity— a prospect that left no hope for his own rise. With this thought, he sighed, raised his staff, leapt before Ba Fa Li Ya, and a barrier instantly formed, blocking Mei Ke Lun's Dark Arrow. "Grand Hall Master Ming Guang." Hei Sen sighed. "Ba Fa Li Ya, for his daughter, his crime is understandable and should not merit death; I hope the Grand Hall Master grants him a chance to live."

"Hei Sen, even you turn traitor?" Ming Guang's eyes were blood‑shot; seeing Hei Sen aid Luo Shan's side, his anger boiled over. "Mei Ke Lun, Sa Ke Sen, Ge Te, let's act together and kill these two traitors!" "If that's so." Hei Sen shook his head, grimly saying. "Ba Fa Li Ya, today I must die alongside you."

"What kind of words are those?" Seeing Hei Sen risk his life to help, Ba Fa Li Ya felt gratitude; though his shoulder still ached, a heroic spirit surged. "Today we still don't know whose deer will fall; Hei Sen, you're diminishing your own prestige." "Ba Fa Li Ya, you ignorant fool." Hei Sen smiled faintly. "If so, let's fight side by side and see what Grand Hall Master Ming Guang can do to us!"

In an instant, the Cold Mountain Summit's winds and clouds shifted, seven peerless masters divided into several groups, fighting with life‑or‑death zeal.

This battle would later be called the "Extinguishing Sun" Campaign, meaning the clash was so earth‑shaking that even the sun lost its brilliance.

Whether Luo Shan, Viscount Luo Fugude, or Ming Guang and the other Spirit God Hall masters, at that moment…

Yet after this, a colossal variable lay hidden.