Chapter 102: Damn! Dog System!

Jiang Xia felt a warm, vast force surge into his body; the spiritual energy and ocular power he had expended recovered at an astonishing rate, even growing stronger than before!

The jade seal mark on his brow flickered, frantically absorbing this energy and transforming it into the most primordial insights of law and power enhancement.

He had already been at the peak of the Wanghou Initial Stage bottleneck; under the impact of this ancient, pure energy, the barrier shattered instantly!

“Boom!”

Jiang Xia’s aura surged violently; his spiritual energy surged like a river in flood, his mental power ascended once more, and his perception and control over surrounding laws reached a new height!

Wanghou Stage, Mid-Level!

Moreover, he felt his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan had received a slight nourishment—their ocular power had grown stronger.

The Pain Six Paths puppets within his system space also synchronously upgraded to Wanghou Mid-Level.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Akatsuki Jin and the other four were likewise nourished by this energy; their Wanghou Mid-Level barriers shattered on impact.

And the other prodigies also gained tremendous benefits!

Ye Lingxi absorbed the energy, instantly breaking through her Wu Zong Peak bottleneck; icy aura radiated around her, and the phantom image of an ice phoenix flashed behind her before vanishing—she officially entered Wanghou Initial Stage!

Wang Teng felt the Yin-Yang Secret Seal mysteriously fuse with this vibrant energy; the runes on his body automatically rotated, and his cultivation advanced effortlessly—he stepped into Wanghou Initial Stage!

Ling Zhantian and Wang Shichen also, with the aid of this energy, effortlessly attained law comprehension and broke through into Wanghou Stage!

Shi Man, Su Xiaorou, and other surviving prodigies who had been at Wu Zong Late Stage or Peak also broke through!

Those at Wu Zong Late Stage advanced to Peak; nearly ten at Wu Zong Peak successfully entered Wanghou Initial Stage!

In an instant, the depths of the gorge erupted with surging auras; beams of breakthrough light blazed upward, creating a spectacular scene!

This brutal, extreme battle had nearly drained everyone’s strength—but brought unimaginably rich rewards!

As the chaotic energy’s glow gradually faded, the orb atop the altar dimmed and vanished.

Everyone slowly opened their eyes, feeling the surging power and new realms within them, each struck with a sense of having crossed through lifetimes.

Seeing his companions mostly unharmed and greatly strengthened, Jiang Xia’s pale face broke into a relieved smile.

Wang Teng waved his fist excitedly: “Hahaha! Fat Boy here is now a Wanghou! Let’s see who dares say I’m the weakest among us now!”

Ling Zhantian, feeling the surging power within him, laughed heartily: “Thrilling! That fight was worth it!”

Ye Lingxi walked to Jiang Xia’s side, her cold eyes holding concern and a faint, barely noticeable softness: “Your injuries…”

“I’m fine, much better after the breakthrough,” Jiang Xia shook his head. “This is the true Shanhai Pass—indeed, it holds opportunities far beyond what’s inside.”

As they spoke, an indescribable, terrifying pressure suddenly descended!

“Hum—!”

Space froze. Time halted.

Everyone—including the newly broken-through Wanghou prodigies—felt as if a mountain had crushed them, unable to move a muscle.

Above the gorge, the void split open silently, revealing a massive fissure.

A colossal dragon claw, covered in scales and entwined with lightning, slowly extended from within!

The claw’s target was unmistakably Jiang Xia—whose aura had yet to fully stabilize after his breakthrough!

“Steal my opportunity, kill my servants… Louyi , Itachi shall be exterminated!”

A solemn, utterly indifferent voice echoed directly within every soul, carrying an irrevocable tone of judgment.

Sacred Stage! And far from an ordinary Sacred Stage!

An Overlord-level Demon Saint, enraged by Jiang Xia’s severe injury to three Demon Kings and the absorption of the orb’s energy, had personally descended to erase this anomaly!

“Sacred Stage?! It’s the Yinglong!” Akatsuki Jin cried out in shock, his eyes filled with terror for the first time.

This aura far surpassed Disaster Level—it was true Sacred Power, and from an exceptionally powerful being within the Sacred Stage!

Under this absolute Sacred Power, the newly broken-through prodigies couldn’t even twitch a finger.

Jiang Xia’s pupils shrank sharply; his Sharingan activated instinctively!

“Kai!”

The space around him twisted instantly; his body became insubstantial, dodging the lethal strike.

“Boom—!!!”

The Sacred dragon claw slammed down; the earth collapsed into a bottomless pit, and the shockwave flung nearby prodigies into the air.

Yet Jiang Xia, at the epicenter of the attack, staggered into view a short distance away the instant the claw pierced through him—his face pale, blood spurting again—but he had narrowly escaped the killing blow!

“Hm? Spatial law? Interesting. But how many times can Itachi dodge?”

From the heavens came a cold voice; the clouds parted, and a second dragon claw coalesced—its power even greater, clearly leaving Jiang Xia no further chance!

“Yinglong! Itachi’ve overstepped!”

Before the claw could fully descend, the terrifying pressure had already frozen the space around Jiang Xia completely—he couldn’t even move a single finger!

The jade seal on his brow vibrated furiously, radiating unprecedented light, attempting to resist—but before the absolute gap in cultivation, it was powerless.

“Old Jiang!” Wang Teng’s eyes bulged; he tried to rush forward, but the Sacred pressure pinned him firmly in place.

“Jiang Xia!” Ye Lingxi’s ice phoenix feathers erupted in blinding blue light, yet could not break the invisible restraints.

Akatsuki Jin, Du Gu Yun, and others struggled desperately, their eyes filled with shock, fury, and unwillingness—they could not abandon their comrades who had just fought beside them.

Jiang Xia was momentarily stunned—he may have been gifted, but he was still only a Wanghou! Why would a Catastrophe-level Demon Saint come after him so fiercely?

Jiang Xia mentally called out to his system: “Sys-guy, Sys-guy, what now? Can Itachi give me a Sacred Stage trial card? 1.09 million points?”

【Ding~ Master, fend for yourself. The system will retrieve your corpse and bring it back to Earth!】

“Damn! Dog system, when this is over, I’ll self-destruct and take Itachi with me—let’s keep doing missions together in the Underworld!”

At this critical moment—

“Yinglong! How dare Itachi!”

A roar erupted from the mist above!

A spear tip tore through the frozen space, striking precisely at the center of the massive dragon claw’s palm!

“Clang—!!!!”

The metallic clash rang across the universe; the violent energy shockwave instantly leveled dozens of meters of the gorge’s rock walls!

The dragon claw’s descent halted abruptly!

Before Jiang Xia stood, as if appearing from nowhere, a tall, upright figure.

“Grandfather!” Ye Lingxi’s face lit up with surprise and joy.

The newcomer was Ye Jia’s patriarch, Ye Lingxi’s grandfather, Commander of the Demon-Suppressing Army, Ye Ting!

Dressed in the commander’s armor of the Demon-Suppressing Army, his face rugged, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s, he held a dragon-etched spear, firmly pressing against the dragon claw.