Chapter 628: Deception Beyond Measure

The battle among Martial Ancestors, in a single breath, already created a terrifying scene of sky‑cracking and earth‑splitting.

The entire building trembled on the brink of collapse under the two's power.

The stairwell had long vanished, replaced by a huge irregular void that ran from the building's top floor down to its middle…

Smoke and dust filled the air, two beams of light constantly colliding within it; each impact triggered a violent shockwave that pulverized the surrounding ruins again.

The soldiers still left downstairs had already scattered in flight; no one dared approach the area.

Because no one believed they could survive a battle of this level.

The heavens and earth grew dim.

Countless auras of Jiangnan were stirred.

They all sensed the two terrifying power fluctuations emanating from Songshan City Center.

Some guessed who was dueling, some estimated the tiers of those two forces, some hesitated whether to go take a look, but in the end no one approached.

In a battle of this caliber, even beings like them would be courting death.

And at Dongjiang City Hall, the easternmost coastal part of Jiangnan, there stands Wanghai Mountain.

The mountain borders Donghai, its altitude a thousand zhang, its slopes sheer, perpetually shrouded in mist.

At its summit lies a simple temple; the temple is small but extremely precarious, three sides are cliffs, and only a narrow stone stair leads down.

The most striking thing about Wanghai Mountain is that it is the seclusion place of the Divine Mechanism Celestial.

It is rumored that this Divine Mechanism Celestial, a scholar of the heavens, knows all past and present, and is the sole being to see through the Heavenly Mechanism.

He belongs to no Faction, takes part in no conflicts, and simply remains quietly on Wanghai Mountain, day after day performing Divine Mechanism Prediction.

Even Martial Ancestor Strongmen must render disciple respect before him.

At this moment, the deep night of Wanghai Mountain is utterly silent.

The temple's lights have already gone out, only the mountain wind howls between the cliffs.

The Divine Mechanism Celestial sits cross‑legged on a mat, eyes closed, Nourishing Spirit, breathing steady and long.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were ancient, the whites clouded, the pupils dim, like a pair of beads dulled by time. Yet now, within those beads a light flickers, like two rekindled candles emitting a faint yet bright glow in the darkness.

He looked west.

"One Hundred and Thirty years…"

His voice was light, like a breath blowing over dry leaves, carrying an aged, weary tone of having endured countless years.

"Today, another Wu Zun Fallen?"

His brows furrowed, the deep wrinkles on his forehead bunching together.

He swiftly raised both hands, ten withered fingers flicking rapidly in the air, as if performing an extremely complex calculation.

His lips moved silently, those ancient incantations trembling deep in his throat, turning into invisible ripples that spread outward.

Then his hands abruptly halted.

His body convulsed violently, his mouth gaped, a gush of fresh blood spurted from his throat, drawing a dark‑red arc in the air, splashing onto his gray Daoist Robe and soaking a large area.

His complexion instantly turned ghastly pale, his breath shifted from steady to chaotic, those eyes that had just lit up dimmed again, his eyelids heavy as they fell.

The temple's door was pushed open. A young Disciple rushed in, his face turning death‑white at the sight of the Divine Mechanism Celestial spitting blood, and lunged to support his trembling body.

"Master! Master, what's wrong with you!"

The Divine Mechanism Celestial leaned in the young Disciple's arms, eyes half‑open, breath feeble like a wisp of smoke about to die out.

He raised the blood‑stained hand, pointed west, his lips moved, emitting a few indistinct sounds.

"Take me to… Songshan, a hundred li away…"

Having spoken, his head tilted, and he instantly collapsed into death.

The young Disciple froze, looking at his passed‑out master in his arms, then glancing at the western night sky lit by flames and Golden Light, he gritted his teeth, hoisted the Divine Mechanism Celestial and rushed out of the temple.

Above the collapsed building ruins in Songshan, the battle still raged on.

Dongfang Hongshan, panting, stood on a tilted concrete slab, the black Crutch in his hand already bearing several cracks, the Rune engravings on it dimmed considerably.

He gazed at the young man standing in Golden Light before him, and for the first time felt an almost powerless sensation.

He had already fought over a hundred rounds, employing every tactic, yet Jiang Feng was like repeatedly forged iron; each strike made him harder and hotter.

The harder he pressed, the more excited the opponent became, as if savoring the fight.

What pained him even more was that the building was almost destroyed in an instant.

The stronghold they had painstakingly built in Jiangnan over many years turned into a heap of ruins in tonight's battle. Those soldiers—some died, some were wounded, some fled; the once orderly formation was now scattered, with less than half remaining.

These are the foundation of the Dongfang family.

Each bit of foundation was built with time and resources, each elite soldier cultivated with great effort.

But now, it's all gone.

Dongfang Hongshan clenched the Crutch in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

He lifted his head, looked at Jiang Feng, his voice bearing a pressure that seemed about to snap.

"Do you truly intend to settle a death battle with my Dongfang family?"

Jiang Feng stood in Golden Light, silent, merely watching him with calm eyes.

Dongfang Hongshan continued, his voice growing deeper and more forceful.

"Our Dongfang family has three other Martial Ancestors like me! Three! Adding me makes four! With four emerging, no matter how strong you are, you cannot take on four alone!"

He paused, gazing into Jiang Feng's eyes, trying to catch a hint of hesitation or retreat.

"If you cannot yield, our Dongfang family will, even if it means sacrificing a Wu Zun Fallen today, slay you!"

Having finished, he stared at Jiang Feng, waiting for his response.

Jiang Feng stood there, silent for a long while.

Dongfang Hongshan saw his silence and felt a slight sigh of relief.

He thought Jiang Feng had finally realized the seriousness of the matter and was finally beginning to consider conceding.

As long as the opponent showed any hint of wavering, he could use this step to steady the situation, take Dongfang Jue back first, and settle the scores later.

He was about to speak to persuade Jiang Feng to step down when he saw Jiang Feng move.

He did not retreat, did not stop, but instead took a step forward.

Then another step.

His pace was not fast.

Golden Light flowed over his Surface, and the fine Method Silk threads on his Fingers jumped, emitting a low buzzing hum.

He walked to Dongfang Hongshan, less than three feet away, and then raised his hand.

Palm forward, five fingers spread, Golden Light condensed, concentrated, compressed in his palm, becoming a Light Sphere the size of a Fist.

The aura emitted by that Light Sphere was stronger than any before, so strong that the surrounding air crackled with pop—pop— explosion sounds.

Dongfang Hongshan's Pupils suddenly contracted.

He felt the power inside that Light Sphere, a resolve that completely abandoned defense, concentrating all power into a single point.

That resolve meant Jiang Feng intended no retreat for himself nor for his opponent.

Then he heard Jiang Feng's voice.

"Today is death, but I'll still drag you, old dog, onto my back!"

Before the words fell, that palm struck out.

Golden Light exploded, laws poured down.

Throughout the ruins above, Golden Light enveloped everything, like a sun rising from the Ground, turning night into day.

Dongfang Hongshan was swept backward by that force, his body tumbling several times in the air before barely steadied. He landed on the Ground, face iron‑blue, and, looking at Jiang Feng's face illuminated by Golden Light, forced a sentence out between his teeth.

"You've gone too far, so then! Old brother, I'll fight you!"

He thrust his Crutch into the Ground with a sudden jab, and the already dim Rune lit up again, this time brighter and fiercer, as if burning the Crutch's own life force.

The visible Injuries on his body healed rapidly, and the consumed Refined Blood regenerated at an almost frantic speed.

He burned the remaining things.

At this moment everything was pressed upward by him, exchanging for the power of this final strike.

Two figures collided again.

This time, the ruins collapsed completely!