Chapter 539: Deterring a Province

The firmament suddenly split!

A waterfall of lightning, like a celestial river pouring backward, tore a ten-thousand-foot chasm through the sea of clouds.

Accompanied by the surging, pouring lightning waterfall, the searing light devoured the colors of heaven and earth.

Across ten thousand miles of territory, the masses of powerhouses were dazzled and mesmerized, seeing only that bare-chested figure standing firm in the sea of lightning.

It was as if that figure were even more blinding than the lightning tribulation itself.

Chen Yan bathed in the lightning bare-chested, holding Ji Chuxi as if holding a lantern.

Immediately after, Chen Yan's body was once again enveloped by the sea of lightning; all the power of the thunder was collapsing and squeezing toward Chen Yan alone.

As for Ji Chuxi, he seemed more like he had suffered an unprovoked disaster, his skin torn and flesh mangled by the scorching of countless bolts of electricity.

Chen Yan did not intend to let Ji Chuxi go.

He still needed to use Ji Chuxi to trade for some things with Ji Province.

Judging that this terrifying lightning tribulation would not be enough to take Ji Chuxi's life, Chen Yan couldn't be bothered to care anymore and sat down cross-legged directly.

The lightning tribulation continuously carved streaks of blood onto his physical body.

But Chen Yan himself did not care about these at all; he was still breaking through his realm and undergoing the tribulation.

This battle with Ji Chuxi allowed Chen Yan to perceive the powerful might of the Dao of Will even more clearly.

The so-called 【Decay-Control - Primordial Intent】 was actually just the simplest of moves.

It was the pouring out of one's own power of will in an instant.

It was a very crude way of unleashing means, and the power of will had not been utilized perfectly at all.

But based on the fact that this was the first martial technique of the Dao of Will, Chen Yan still gave it a name.

Chen Yan set his current goals.

The first priority, naturally, was to continuously improve his basic combat power in Qi-blood and body tempering.

The second matter was to perfect 【Void-Breaking - Saint-Condensation】.

On the Saint-Breaking Tree, the progress of the 【Technique】 Saint-Breaking Fruit had already reached seventy-five percent.

But for the subsequent progress, Chen Yan intended to use it all for researching the addition of the power of will.

This would fundamentally improve the martial art 【Void-Breaking - Saint-Condensation】.

The third matter was the 【Break】 Saint-Breaking Fruit.

Now that the world was continuously building temples to the Lord of Will, more and more living beings knew of the existence of the Lord of Will.

The progress of the 【Break】 Saint-Breaking Fruit had unknowingly reached fourteen percent.

But compared to Chen Yan's ultimate goal, this was still far off.

Chen Yan needed to appear once more in the identity of the Lord of Will.

Of course, all these things would have to wait until Chen Yan found the time to do them.

As for the current Chen Yan, he still needed to undergo the tribulation.

"Let me... out!"

A low, somewhat miserable roar rang out.

Not far from Chen Yan, Ji Chuxi, who had already stopped wanting to speak and had been playing dead, could no longer hold back.

Damn it!

What kind of situation was this?

"Let me out!"

Ji Chuxi gritted his teeth; countless bolts of tribulation lightning landed on his physical body, roasting him until he was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, forcing him to unleash his Qi-blood to protect himself.

"Kid!" Ji Chuxi let out a low roar.

Crack!

A bolt of electricity pierced through Ji Chuxi's Qi-blood barrier and struck directly onto various parts of Ji Chuxi's physical body.

Ji Chuxi felt a sour, stinging sensation instantly, and his tone changed along with it:

"Chen Yan, enough, I have already lost!"

Ji Chuxi's entire face turned black:

"I lost, you are impressive; let's get to know each other, it's not impossible that we might become friends in the future, let me out first."

Ji Chuxi blurted out this series of words.

He had been suppressed by Chen Yan in front of the entire Chu Li Pass, the various ministers of Ji Province, and even the Empress of Ji Province.

This was more unbearable than killing him.

Yet at this moment, Chen Yan remained silent.

Ji Chuxi gritted his teeth.

Was he even human?

The second-ranked on the Five Clans List, the number one prodigy of Ji Province—was he even human!?

Clatter!

Divine chains condensed from beside Ji Chuxi, and the next moment, Ji Chuxi charged directly toward the outside of the lightning tribulation sphere.

And it was right at this moment.

With a boom.

The endless might of will struck instantly, like a scorching, extreme sun slamming into the depths of Ji Chuxi's brain.

Ji Chuxi's pupils were dilating rapidly; his will had already been tortured to the point of near-collapse, and now, struck by such a heavy blow, he suddenly lost the courage to flee.

"Chen Yan!!!"

Ji Chuxi spat out a mouthful of blood, and Chen Yan's figure had already appeared before Ji Chuxi.

With a boom, a straight punch slammed directly into Ji Chuxi's abdomen.

Boom, boom, boom!

The storm-like barrage of punches sent Ji Chuxi retreating step by step, his body caving in.

Ji Chuxi's mood was at its absolute worst; the intense pain caused his thoughts to twist continuously at this moment.

Until finally, he lay once more within the lightning tribulation.

Yet Chen Yan still did not say a single word and continued to sit cross-legged.

Ji Chuxi breathed with difficulty; within his mind, it seemed as if the shadow of a demon king had appeared.

It stifled him, made it hard for him to stand, and even threatened to become his inner demon.

Outside.

Ji Chuxi had been defeated just like that.

All the living beings of the entire Chu Li Pass wore expressions of terror and shock.

Across the endless earth, apart from the roar of the lightning tribulation, everything else was deathly silent.

In the distant sky.

A group of powerhouses from Ji Province all had ashen faces, unable to believe it.

The Empress of Ji Province, who had been sitting on her throne the entire time, had eyes like the coldest stars in a frigid night, indifferently gazing at the distant lightning tribulation.

But no matter how she maintained her composure, there was still an expression of disbelief in the depths of her eyes.

What is this situation?

A peak Fifth-Rank can fight an early Creation Realm?

And while encountering a lightning tribulation, in the midst of breaking through to a higher realm?

How old is he?

How many years has he been on the path of the Dao?

Such a short amount of time, such terrifying performance, made it hard even for her to accept.

One Lu Xunyang was already enough to make the people of the Five Clans unable to accept it.

Now, another Chen Yan has appeared.

They must admit that the Great Xia places enough importance on Chen Yan.

For a single battle, even Xia Hanzhou came in person.

A murderous intent surfaced in the heart of the Empress of Ji Province, but with Xia Hanzhou here now, it made it difficult for her to strike.

"Is there really no news from Bing Yi's side?"

The Empress of Ji Province spoke coldly.

Behind her, a minister replied:

"The Chen Clan is still searching for Bing Yi; the other party... has... has had no news."

Everyone was silent; everyone could understand why the Empress would mention Bing Yi now.

Within the Five Clans, if there really is someone who can suppress Chen Yan.

Apart from Bing Yi, perhaps there is no one else.

But Bing Yi's life or death is unknown.

It is even more likely that they fell into a dangerous trap of the Chen Clan.

That ancient divine beast that captured Bing Yi, and the death of Chen Yunyou—everything might just be a conspiracy of the Chen Clan.

This was the speculation of many, but there was no evidence.

A feeling of irritability arose; the Empress of Ji Province closed her eyes, and the peerless prodigies who had appeared in history constantly surfaced in her mind, and then she compared them to Chen Yan.

However, the longer she thought, the more solemn her expression became.

"The Path of Will."

The Empress of Ji Province spoke in a cold voice.

"I watched the whole match, Chuxi could have defeated Chen Yan, and it wouldn't even have been difficult, but after Chen Yan unleashed his own will, everything changed.

And..."

The Empress of Ji Province's expression grew colder:

"Chen Yan actually unleashed a martial technique of the Path of Will; this is something no Will martial artist has ever displayed before."

All around, the other ministers of Ji Province listened, and the more they heard, the more terrified they became.

A Will martial technique?

Was that eruption like the great sun a Will martial technique?

If that is the case, then is Chen Yan's Path of Will stronger, or is Bing Yi's Path of Will stronger?

The Path of Will is too profound.

It is even very vague.

The first realm of the Path of Will is the ability to amplify a person's combat power.

Is the second realm of the Path of Will the Immortal Body?

Bing Yi once unleashed the Will Divine Body; is that the third realm?

Could the Will Dharma Idol that Bing Yi unleashed be the fourth realm?

Vague, mysterious, profound...

This is the feeling the Path of Will gives to everyone.

Even for a Seventh-Rank Creation Realm, even for an Eighth-Rank, it is still impossible to see clearly.

Many people looked toward the earth, at the Temples of the Lord of Will built in various places, their expressions shifting one by one.

Instead, a cold smile appeared on the face of the Empress of Jizhou:

"What is this brat trying to do? He still hasn't returned Ji Chuxi."

The expression of the Empress of Jizhou grew increasingly unsightly.

Ji Chuxi was still alive.

But this Chen Yan, in front of all the people under heaven, was dragging Ji Chuxi into the lightning tribulation.

Was this not smearing the face of Jizhou?

"Audacious!"

With a bang.

The Empress of Jizhou swung out a hand.

And it was at this moment.

Someone's expression shifted slightly, transforming into a streak of golden light as they flew toward Chuli Pass.

"Return my son!"

That person had a thin build, bore a fifty-percent resemblance to Ji Chuxi, and appeared to be middle-aged; he was clearly Ji Chuxi's father.

He had a cold, grim expression, and he roared lowly while looking at that ball of lightning tribulation light spanning the heavens and earth:

"The battle is already over, what more are you trying to do?"

The next moment.

High above Chuli Pass, the gazes of a million Military Guards locked onto that person, each of their auras terrifying.

The man's expression trembled; he had once again witnessed Chen Yan's influence.

"The battle is already over, it is you, Chen Yan of Great Xia, who has won!"

The middle-aged man named Ji Chuli spoke with a hoarse voice and an unsightly expression:

"If you continue to suppress my son now, you are violating the ceasefire agreement!"

Crack!

A brilliant, scorching bolt of lightning fell from the high heavens, exploding into the lightning tribulation sphere where Chen Yan was located.

The terrifying lightning sphere continuously condensed, and a suffocating momentum kept rising.

Even countless particles in the void were circling around the lightning sphere as the center.

The people of the world could hardly imagine how terrifying the power of the lightning tribulation Chen Yan was currently encountering was.

Below.

Liu Xuan, who had betrayed Great Xia, turned deathly pale.

At this moment, he was terrified of being noticed by the others.

But that lightning tribulation sphere stood above his head like an impending divine condemnation.

As the fear in the eyes of the living beings at Chuli Pass grew more intense.

"Great Xia, do you want to start a war?!"

A cold woman's voice pierced through the void, traveled across the boundless expanse, and resounded over Chuli Pass.

That was the voice of the Empress of Jizhou.

The Empress was also enraged.

Chen Yan had already defeated Ji Chuxi, yet he was still suppressing Ji Chuxi.

This was a provocation to the dignity of a nation.

Especially since this place was Jizhou!

In an instant.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

Inside Chuli Pass, the Jizhou army assembled, and a vast, mighty army of hundreds of thousands appeared above the void, confronting the Great Xia Military Guards.

The figures of the Jizhou soldiers gathered together, transforming into an endless, pitch-black mist that obscured the heavens and earth.

A Jizhou general wearing battle armor stepped out from the military formation and spoke with a cold gaze:

"Great Xia, what exactly is Chen Yan's intention?

The battle of the heaven-prides has already ended.

Return Ji Chuxi of our Holy Nation, otherwise, we shall go to war."

His voice fell.

Hum!

Inside Moshan Pass.

A vast, pitch-black sword shadow pierced through the radiance of the sun and moon, suppressing the heavens and earth, and at this moment, it completely bloomed with endless sword light.

The Xia Sovereign Sword!

Xia Hanzhou sat cross-legged high above Moshan Pass, his expression calm, his white hair fluttering.

Everything he was doing now was merely to hold the line for Chen Yan.

Chen Yan's intent to retrieve the Soul of the Life Chapter and reach an agreement with the Five Clans was Xia Qi's decision.

The mastermind behind this great event that would change the future of the world had never been him, Xia Hanzhou.

Billions of sword Qi instantly overflowed above Moshan Pass, seemingly intent on destroying the world.

In the distant Chuli Pass.

Billions of Jizhou living beings were now shrouded by the waves of sword pressure belonging to the Xia Sovereign Sword; their expressions changed wildly one by one, and an endless sense of crisis welled up in their hearts.

Some wailed, and some even fainted directly.

The Xia Sovereign Sword held by Xia Hanzhou and the one held by the Longevity King were like two completely different things.

Xia Hanzhou is currently second on the Rank 8 leaderboard and the pillar of the Great Xia.

Under his control, the Great Xia Sovereign Sword can truly slay a Rank 9.

The Great Xia Sovereign Sword, the divine sword held by the founding sovereign of that year.

It slew the Ancient God Bai E and severed the physical body of the Ancient God Fanni.

This is the number one divine artifact under heaven!

A sudden drastic change occurred, and even the expression of the Empress of Jizhou changed in an instant.

Has Xia Hanzhou gone mad?

He really intends to fight her Jizhou to the bitter end.

What the hell are you trying to do?!

At this moment, even the Empress of Jizhou felt it was inconceivable.

Every Jizhou powerhouse startled by this sword shadow looked one after another toward that ball of lightning tribulation light.

Everyone understood.

The center of the current changing situation is all on Chen Yan, who is still undergoing tribulation.

On a Rank 5, a heaven-gifted prodigy who, even if he advances to Rank 6, is still not a top-tier combat force in this world.

Absurd!

Yet he is truly the divine general appointed by the Great Xia.

Lu Jianxia's expression changed again and again.

What is the Great Xia trying to do?

What is Chen Yan trying to do?

Is this still the Bing Yi who was constantly suppressed on Myriad Phenomena Island?

Lu Jianxia felt somewhat dazed.

As for Chen Yu, she was incomparably nervous.

She does not know what her older brother is trying to do now.

But at this moment, the gazes of all the strongest people in Jizhou are on her older brother.

The little girl could not help but clutch the corner of her clothes.

The next moment.

"I, Chen Yan, believe that the gentlemen of Jizhou are all heroes."

An indifferent voice suddenly rang out, sounding from within that ball of lightning tribulation.

Everyone listened quietly.

"Why go to such great lengths over a small matter?

Ji Chuxi is a genius, still fighting with me inside the lightning tribulation ball."

Chen Yan's voice fell.

Many people's faces turned black.

You motherfucker, you're lying through your teeth.

Ordinary commoners can naturally only see that ball of lightning tribulation.

But Rank 8s can clearly see that inside the lightning tribulation ball right now, Ji Chuxi is being suppressed by Chen Yan and is still lying there being constantly struck by the lightning tribulation.

Beside the Empress of Jizhou, a Rank 8 was about to speak in anger.

The Empress slightly raised her hand and narrowed her eyes; at this time, confronting Chen Yan has no meaning.

Even if Rank 8s can see clearly what is happening inside that lightning tribulation, the masses cannot see it.

Even if one explains it, it will only give rise to all sorts of conspiracy theories.

It is better to see what Chen Yan actually wants to do.

The next moment.

Hum!

A phantom image emerged from the body of the Empress of Jizhou and quickly entered into the void.

Following that, the phantom image condensed within the lightning tribulation ball.