Chapter 472: Wind and Thunder Stir, Yin and Yang Clash

The field of vision was instantly filled with crimson blood threads, dazzlingly vivid, as if one could hardly keep the eyes open.

Facing this furious strike, Chen Hang made no attempt to dodge or maneuver; he raised a finger, channeling vast magic power, and the hundreds of blood threads were collectively shaken back slightly, breaking their encircling formation.

Seizing this opening, his purple palace at the brow released the Five Qi Cosmos Ring, and with a flash of auspicious light and radiant clouds, the still dazed figure of Ge Ji suddenly appeared atop a distant desolate mountain.

After completing this, Chen Hang recalled the Five Qi Cosmos Ring, summoned his intent, and his entire body was wreathed in swirling five-colored smoke and clouds, piling like earth and stone to firmly block the incoming blood threads.

These blood threads appeared no thicker than a thumb, yet weighed over ten thousand jin, extremely heavy, and capable of eroding magical radiance; if a talisman or artifact was brushed by them, nine out of ten would have their seals destroyed and become unusable.

For a time, the air was filled with a sizzling sound, like boiling oil, sending shivers down the spine.

The five-colored smoke and clouds were peeled away layer by layer by the blood threads, yet instantly regenerated layer by layer, as if both sides were locked in a struggle of strength, neither gaining the upper hand.

Seeing this devolve into a grueling stalemate—where continuing the fight merely became a contest of magic power—Lu Rong remained utterly calm, not withdrawing despite Chen Hang’s superior dan grade, refusing to avoid the battle by yielding his weakness to the opponent’s strength.

A first-grade Golden Core is indeed the highest rank among the nine grades, the most exquisite of all.

A cultivator who attains such a dan grade has essentially taken half his body onto a direct path to heaven.

Yet those who succeed in the Dao in this world are by no means determined solely by dan grade or the superiority of their spiritual manifestations.

Otherwise, the True Persons of the Eight Sects and Six Clans would not have to endure the hardship of combat to finally determine the champion of the Dan Yuan Assembly.

Why wouldn’t the founding ancestors of each sect simply order the few who had attained first-grade Golden Cores to compete among themselves? Wouldn’t that be far simpler?

Anyone who attains a high-grade Golden Core—let alone second-grade, even third-grade—is a cultivator of exceptional innate talent and profound karmic roots, not to be underestimated!

Years ago, because his essence of Zhanran Xu Jing was slightly insufficient during the dan refining process, Lu Rong was forced to settle for a second-grade dan; though he had privately sighed and shaken his head, he ultimately laughed it off and let it go.

The Dao is manifold; what man can achieve—

The story of Yan Xi, who attained the Dao despite inferior attainments, was well known among cultivators across the Nine Provinces and Four Seas.

Moreover, Lu Rong knew that Chang Xi, the Dao Lord ruling the Blood River Sect today, had once, in a Dan Yuan Assembly centuries ago, crushed Li Jie of the Northern Pole Garden, who possessed a first-grade Golden Core, thereby shaking the world!

And now, Chang Xi has achieved eternal life and profound virtue, while Li Jie of the once-renowned Northern Pole Garden long ago perished in tribulation, reduced to ashes.

With such monumental deeds of his sect’s ancestors before him, and given his own temperament, Lu Rong would never let temporary setbacks dampen his ambition.

During his travels beyond the cosmos, having witnessed countless immortal and buddha realms, and having sparred with the prodigies of every sect and clan—

After narrowly escaping death several times, Lu Rong had polished his Dao arts to absolute mastery, wielding them with perfect ease, reaching another level of existence.

Especially two years ago, when he quarreled with Ruan Yuchong of the Sand Yu Heavenly Palace, Lu Rong nearly exhausted Ruan Yuchong’s divine heavenly decree talisman single-handedly; had Ruan not produced a protective treasure bestowed by his senior master, Lu Rong would have truly severed his head.

With such glorious victories to his name, even facing Chen Hang, a first-grade Golden Core, Lu Rong felt no caution or wariness—only excitement at the prospect of a worthy opponent.

Today, he would use Chen Hang’s hand to measure the true weight of the Six Clans’ Grand Master!

As the blood threads clashed and wore against the five-colored smoke and clouds, two full quarters of an hour slipped away unnoticed.

Seeing Chen Hang’s breath completely unruffled, Lu Rong nodded, his expression growing even more solemn.

This standoff was not merely a test of each other’s magic power, but also a probing of their control over the situation, demanding extreme sensitivity of spiritual perception and precise qi circulation.

It was like two colossal waves crashing head-on; if one side struck with overwhelming force, the east wind would overpower the west, but if its strength faltered even slightly, it would be crushed beneath.

In Lu Rong’s mind, if Chen Hang used brute force to obliterate his blood threads, it would suit him perfectly—he could then recite the incantation to summon the technique again, harassing with fluid combat, and gradually uncover Chen Hang’s foundations, mapping his qi pathways.

Once he identified the sluggish points in Chen Hang’s qi flow, he would seize that fleeting instant to unleash all his techniques at once, aiming for a decisive blow!

And if Chen Hang sought only stability, unwilling to reveal his full brilliance from the start—

Then Lu Rong could seize this retreat, firmly securing the upper hand.

The blood threads Lu Rong unleashed were called the “Master Xiang’s Void-Submerging Blood Net,” created by a Great True Person of the Blood River Sect named He Xiangxiang.

This divine technique was not only devastating in power, but also possessed a subtle marvel: as the blood threads pierced through empty space, they secretly nurtured “Hidden Thunder,” imperceptible to ordinary senses.

A single “Hidden Thunder” might not trouble a Golden Core True Person, unable to even pierce their protective magic power.

But if hundreds or thousands exploded simultaneously, even Lu Rong, the caster, would have to tread carefully—never dare to withstand them bare-skinned!

In Lu Rong’s plan, as soon as Chen Hang retreated, he would inevitably touch these “Hidden Thunders” that filled the air; then Lu Rong could lure him into the densest cluster and strike, forcing Chen Hang into a disadvantage, making it impossible for him to easily reverse the situation.

Yet Chen Hang responded to this assault with calm deliberation.

He did not rush to break the blood threads and reveal his weaknesses, nor did he evade to collide with the carefully laid “Hidden Thunders.”

Chen Hang merely slowly wrestled with Lu Rong using the Five Qi Cosmos Ring.

When Lu Rong added force, Chen Hang matched it; when Lu Rong reduced force, Chen Hang did the same.

This stance of standing still, adapting on the fly, made Lu Rong frown slightly—he felt his calculations might be falling into emptiness.

If this continued, it would become nothing but a pure contest of magic power.

Though Chen Hang’s dan grade was higher, Lu Rong had already reached the zenith of the Golden Core realm; he was certain he would not lose in a magic power duel.

But Lu Rong, with his cold and proud nature, scorned to gain advantage merely from his realm.

From his sleeve he drew a Three-Cluster Seven-Colored Sheep Horn Lamp, raised it, and the thick layer of smoke and clouds around Chen Hang suddenly vanished in a large chunk, as if bitten away by some unseen force; countless blood threads immediately surged through the gap.

Chen Hang shook his wide sleeve, re-extending the Five Qi Cosmos Ring, and with one surge of force repelled the blood threads; at the same instant, a strange sensation rose in his heart, and he instinctively sidestepped.

The next moment, the Five Qi Cosmos Ring suddenly trembled violently, its protective aura collapsing in large portions.

And at Chen Hang’s original position, a streak of dark light flashed swiftly, blasting clean through a nearby mountain peak!

Though breaking this stalemate was not Lu Rong’s original intent, since he had already acted, there was no reason to delay further.

His gaze sharpened; he re-activated the Three-Cluster Seven-Colored Sheep Horn Lamp, and the myriad blood threads in the sky, as if infused with new power, surged instantly in number, becoming fiercer, like coiling dragons and serpents bursting from their nests!

After a while, as the Five Qi Cosmos Ring teetered on the verge of collapse, its protective radiance repeatedly gnawed and shaken, Chen Hang finally seized his chance and forced a strange creature to reveal its true form with sword qi.

It was a demonic spirit with a sharp horn on its head, shaped like a giant locust, its mouth lined with rows of teeth like swords and halberds, terrifyingly menacing.

Since Lu Rong had released this demon from the lamp, the tide had turned; with six demons acting in unison, even the Five Qi Cosmos Ring could not fully block their biting assaults.

Chen Hang glanced at the demon, moved his sword light, and sliced it into a cloud of turbid qi that scattered.

During the earlier exchange, though these creatures moved invisibly and were hard to track, Chen Hang, upon close observation, had not been unable to discern them.

He had allowed them to attack only to wait until they gathered together, then eliminate them all at once.

Now, seeing his demons suddenly shattered, and the remaining few trapped by the sudden surge of sword light, unable to break free—

Lu Rong understood Chen Hang’s plan, frowned slightly, and without hesitation detonated all the “Hidden Thunders” buried deep in the surrounding void.

He had held back until now, intending to gradually lure Chen Hang into the densest cluster of Hidden Thunders—his carefully laid killing move; but now the situation had changed, and if he did not act, all six demons would be destroyed by Chen Hang’s ruthless hand.

Even if it wasn’t as he had planned, he had no choice!

With a thunderous “Boom!” the sky erupted with countless blood thunders, shaking mountains and shattering the earth, uprooting trees and hurling sand; several towering peaks split abruptly in two, collapsing in horrific ruin, their echoes lingering endlessly.

Amid the dazzling crimson light, Lu Rong did not relent; he clenched his fingers, chanted a spell, and a blood pellet the size of a pigeon’s egg rapidly solidified, instantly summoning howling yin winds and freezing the earth in frost!

Yet even though his reaction was swift, someone moved faster.

Almost at the moment the countless “Hidden Thunders” exploded, Lu Rong felt an inexplicable tightening in his chest; his remaining demons were simultaneously obliterated, and the Three-Cluster Seven-Colored Sheep Horn Lamp dimmed abruptly.

Simultaneously, a towering divine figure tore through the gloomy smoke, clad in jade light, standing firm in the heavens.

Behind his head blazed a perfect, radiant circle of light; amid the raging blood thunders, he formed a single divine seal and thrust his palm downward with crushing force!

“The Tai Su Jade Body, the Five Elders Heavenly Official Palm Seal…”

Lu Rong’s thought flashed; he decisively launched the blood pellet toward the colossal hand.

The five-colored hand could effortlessly lift mountain roots and earth veins, its fingers spreading to blot out wind and clouds; the blood pellet, by comparison, was but a gnat or fly.

Yet when the two collided, both shattered as if evenly matched.

At this moment, Chen Hang activated his spell again; the half-formed five-colored hand re-solidified, swept left and right, and crushed the returning blood threads into powder.

The next instant, as Chen Hang shouted, his entire magic power surged violently; the hand swelled again with the wind and lunged toward Lu Rong!

Facing such a mighty strike, Lu Rong no longer launched the blood pellet; instead, he bit his tongue, using his essence blood to activate another Blood River Sect technique.

Amid swirling blood mist, a slick layer of blood skin formed over Lu Rong’s body, clinging like armor, completely covering his face and head.

When the five-colored hand struck, Lu Rong was immobilized, but after being flattened into a thin sheet, he merely shook his body amid the ruins and reverted to his original form.

Aside from the blood skin’s radiance dimming slightly, there was little damage.

Chen Hang’s flying sword slashed at it, but the blade qi was deflected by the blood skin, barely penetrating the flesh.

Only when he summoned the Purple Clear Divine Thunder—this yang-burning divine technique—did he finally pierce through Lu Rong’s slick blood skin, revealing his true face.

“He has real skill; compared to this man, Ye Anhan, Tao Shang, and those fools have wasted decades of cultivation.”

Lu Rong dodged the piercing sword light that chased after him, his gaze darkening as he thought inwardly.

This ferocious assault was more sudden than he had anticipated; if this continued, his earlier plan of fluid combat would likely fail.

As the strongest Golden Core True Person in the Blood River Sect, Lu Rong had thoroughly studied the sect’s scriptures and mastered several great techniques.

Yet the one he had refined most thoroughly was the Zai Yuan Zhao Zhen Dharma Eye.

This dharma eye could observe the hidden celestial patterns above and penetrate the deepest voids below; it was one of the supreme divine techniques of the Blood River Sect, renowned throughout the world!

With his current cultivation, Lu Rong could not fully attain its wonders as described.

But if he used the Zai Yuan Zhao Zhen Dharma Eye to scrutinize Chen Hang’s techniques, he could find even a single weak point in his qi flow and launch a thunderous assault—this had been his original plan.

But now, he could not even afford leisurely fluid combat; if he fully opened the Zai Yuan Zhao Zhen Dharma Eye, Chen Hang would surely strike immediately, catching him off guard.

“Then let us settle this head-on!”

Lu Rong exhaled a long breath, his resolve firm.

At this moment, Lu Rong’s gaze caught a ball of crimson fire hurtling toward him, illuminating the mountains like a rising red sun, carrying a fierce yang force, poised to crush him beneath!

The moment this fire appeared, Lu Rong instinctively felt revulsion, his brows knitting as if it were inherently opposed to him.

“Southern Ming Li Fire!”

Lu Rong sneered, refusing to dodge or evade; a cluster of dark fire erupted from between his brows, shooting upward with equal force!

…

…

The earth cracked, mountains collapsed, fire and smoke rose everywhere.

Half an hour later, on a half-collapsed hilltop, earth suddenly churned, then a hand shot out; after several seconds, Ge Ji, pale-faced, struggled out of the rubble, his expression one of utter horror.

“Yuchen, Blood River… these two are actually immortal cultivators of the Eight Sects and Six Clans? But such a display—could a Golden Core True Person truly produce this?”

Ge Ji spat several times, expelling every last mouthful of sand and dust he had accidentally swallowed.

He then turned to the devastating scene—trees snapped, peaks shattered—and froze, a chill crawling up his spine.

Clearly, he had been sent far away by Chen Hang from the start, and Ge Ji, being sensible, quickly ran off himself, daring not to linger for the spectacle.

But as the battle between Chen Hang and Lu Rong intensified, Ge Ji was still caught in the residual waves.

Had Chen Hang not reached out from afar to shield him just then, he would not merely have been buried under rocks—he would have been reduced to a pile of pulp.

Since Chen Hang had effortlessly slain Feng Lian and that band of hired mercenaries, Ge Ji had always held deep reverence for him, convinced Chen Hang’s abilities were beyond comprehension, surely the product of a great sect.

But after witnessing Chen Hang’s current battle, Ge Ji realized he had still vastly underestimated this man.

Had Chen Hang been willing that day, a single flick of his flying sword would have left Feng Lian and the rest of the demonic cultivators unaware of his presence—before they even glimpsed him, their six yang heads would have rolled like gourds.

As Ge Ji was lost in thought, another thunderclap split the sky, and bolts of fire lightning surged upward—several directly toward his head.

Just as Ge Ji was about to act, a hazy mist of light swept past, halting those fire bolts midair.

At that moment, he felt a sudden rush of wind behind his neck and spun around to see a chubby boy in a five-colored belly band, arms crossed, standing with an air of ancient solemnity.

“By my master’s order, I’ve come to save your miserable life. Not that I’m saying—”

The Five Qi Cosmos Ring glanced at Ge Ji and sneered:

“You’re really unlucky. Ran this far and still nearly got crushed by the shockwave—what kind of luck is that?”

Ge Ji chuckled awkwardly; though his mind swarmed with questions, he seized the chance to ask the urgent one:

“Are you and that True Person of the Blood River Sect about to fight to the death? Forgive my boldness, but this is still within demon territory—if you truly fight to the death, I fear, I fear…”

Though Ge Ji’s words trailed off at the end, the Five Qi Cosmos Ring understood his meaning, shook his head, and said:

“It’s not some deep-seated grudge—why would it come to life or death? Wait. I think this situation is nearly over.”

Just as he finished speaking, a murky demonic light shot skyward like lightning, spinning like a barrier, vast as a mountain ridge—within the air, countless demons knelt, chanting incantations, weeping or laughing, terrifyingly sinister!

At the instant this demonic light appeared, even the Five Qi Cosmos Ring’s mind grew hazy; he instinctively opened his arms, as if to join the demons in kneeling, weeping, and laughing—let alone the lowly cultivated Ge Ji.

Soon after, a sharp sword intent suddenly emerged, slicing straight upward through the air!

The chilling, soul-piercing deathly aura made the Five Qi Cosmos Ring shudder violently, exclaiming:

“Beidou’s Death Mark?!”

The demonic light and sword qi collided in an instant; Ge Ji had barely shaken off his daze when his mind went blank again.

He did not know how long passed, but when he finally shook his head and regained his senses, his back was drenched in sweat.

After a single sound, two figures appeared in the sky.

Chen Hang glanced at the clump of bloodlight clinging to his sleeve, then smiled at Lu Rong and said:

“If we fought on, neither of us could stop ourselves. Lu True Person, your skills are impressive.”

Lu Rong fell silent for a moment, staring at the roaring flames crawling up his left arm, then shook his head and said:

“Though I still have hidden cards, if we fought on, I might not win. No wonder Master Yuan regarded you as the coming calamity—you truly are formidable.”

He shook his shoulder, and a layer of translucent, jade-like human skin gently drifted down, the Southern Bright Fire firmly stuck to it, falling together.

“I’m not the type who can’t accept defeat, Chen True Person. Today’s match is yours.”

Lu Rong shed a fraction of his usual arrogance, nodded to Chen Hang, and spoke frankly.