Chapter 280: Shock! One‑Move Instant Kill!

In the Void, Ye Wuque stood still, watching the battle.

His gaze fell on the summit of the distant massive tower, where a violet figure twirled wildly, its surrounding nether aura surging like the silhouette of the Nether Emperor descending upon the world.

A slight ripple rose in his heart; he was not as completely calm as he appeared.

The last time he met Ziyang Shen was when Ziyang Shen had just revived.

How much time has passed from then until now?

By any reckoning, only a few years.

For Dark Cultivators who measure training in centuries or millennia, a few years are but a flick of the finger.

Yet the Ziyang Shen before him radiated a massive aura, its unfathomable, nether‑star‑sea‑like pressure had already reached… the terrifying level of the Eight-step Saint King!

Moreover, his foundation is solid, his depth profound, his nether law pure—far surpassing ordinary Eight-step Saint Kings—enough to sweep through the Saint King Trial, which gathers Ancient Forbidden Monsters, with no worthy opponent.

In those few years, from the relatively weak state after revival, he surged forward, reaching the realm of the Eight-step Saint King!

What a terrifying cultivation speed!

What a fate that defies the heavens!

"During this time, Ziyang Shen… what exactly did he experience?"

Ye Wuque's curiosity deepened.

He knows Ziyang Shen carries the legacy of a past life and guidance from the supreme Dark Being Huang Lao, but such shocking progress cannot be explained by those alone.

At this moment, the surrounding spectators' chatter surged into his ears like a tide, outlining the formidable reputations of both combatants.

"Look! The ultimate fate of this massive tower hinges on the battle between Ziyang Shen and Di Xuan Dao!"

"Dragon versus Tiger! A true needle‑point against a wheat‑spike!"

"Ziyang Shen! Mysterious origins, rose during the trial, pushing forward; when his nether power erupts, all laws Jiemie, and no one has yet forced out his true limit! He is one of the most terrifying monsters of this trial!"

"Opposite him is Di Xuan Dao! A forbidden heir from the Blade Ancestor Dao Court! He inherits the age‑old Peerless Sacred Realm, specializing in the blade path, terrifying without bound! Di Xuan Dao is also hailed as the 'Future Blade Sovereign', wielding the Jiemie Heavenly Blade that has slain countless strong foes, his fearsome name resounds!"

"When these two clash, it will be earth‑shattering! If they fight to the last moment, the victor will be hard to determine!"

All living beings held their breath, awaiting this pinnacle showdown.

Whether it is Ziyang Shen's bottomless nether power or Di Xuan Dao's all‑cutting Jiemie Blade Path, either can leave any peer Heavenly Pride of the same tier gasping.

Then, the battle between them suddenly began!

The atmosphere was taut to the extreme; at the moment Di Xuan Dao's dark, heavy longsword, coiled with endless Jiemie aura, was about to be drawn—

Ziyang Shen moved!

He did not employ any elaborate, bizarre body techniques, nor summon a vast nether world to suppress; instead… he pointed his finger like a blade!

Buzz!

A pure, ultra‑condensed nether force, as if stripped of all external forms, leaving only the primordial mystery of death and termination, instantly gathered at his fingertip!

That dim light was not dazzling, yet it froze the souls of all beings that gazed upon it!

In the next instant, he aimed at Di Xuan Dao, and from a distance… made a light slash!

A fine, deep nether blade ray, as if capable of severing the cycle of life and death, silently pierced the void!

Simultaneously, Di Xuan Dao finally drew his Jiemie Heavenly Blade!

The moment the blade left its scabbard, it seemed endless worlds wailed and Jiemied beneath its edge!

A terrifying blade, likewise condensed from his lifelong cultivation and Jiemie intent, roared like an apocalyptic black dragon toward the nether blade ray!

To all beings, this seemed a mad collision of two ultimate forces, bound to unleash a cataclysmic torrent of energy that would shatter heaven and earth!

However—

Chirr!

The terrifying blade, imbued with Di Xuan Dao's invincible conviction and Jiemie essence, upon touching the fine nether blade ray, was as if meeting its nemesis, like lingering snow confronting blazing sun, and was… split in two, silently… vanished!

That nether blade ray, its potency unchanged, seemed to disregard space and distance, flashing through Di Xuan Dao's sudden contraction, reflected in his pupils filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

Puff—!

Di Xuan Dao's body jolted violently, the surging Jiemie blade intent around him bursting like a punctured balloon, instantly dissipating!

The Jiemie Heavenly Blade in his hand emitted a mournful wail, its light dimming.

He lowered his head, looking at his chest in disbelief; there was no wound, yet a deathly silence born from the soul's core had seeped into his limbs and bones, stripping him of all power!

"You… this cannot… be…"

He struggled to utter a few words, then darkness engulfed his vision, blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain, and his towering body could no longer stay aloft, falling helplessly from the tower's summit like a kite with its line cut!

The transmission light around him flickered wildly, indicating he had suffered a fatal wound and was instantly eliminated!

One move!

Just one move!

The famed 'Future Blade Sovereign' Di Xuan Dao, whose fearsome name resounds, was defeated before Ziyang Shen so cleanly, so… utterly helpless!

The entire tower area fell into a death‑like silence!

All the watching Heavenly Prides widened their eyes and opened their mouths, as if their throats were being strangled, unable to utter a sound.

The anticipation, excitement, and speculation on their faces all solidified, turning into boundless shock and bewilderment.

Instant kill?!

It was actually an instant kill?!

In the blade path realm that Di Xuan Dao prides himself on, Ziyang Shen crushed him head‑on, forcefully, completely… with a nether blade ray!

"Sss—!"

Someone inhaled sharply first, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Di… Di Xuan Dao… was actually… defeated by a single move?!"

"My god! This Ziyang Shen… how many steps Saint King is he?! Eight steps? Or… nine steps?!"

"Too terrifying! This is sheer crushing! The Imperial Xuan Blade before him leaves no room for even a hint of resistance!"

"The Nether Power… is it truly this frightening?!"

Shouts of astonishment, cries of horror, and incredulous discussions spread like a plague, merging into a wave of clamor.

The might and mystery of Ziyang Shen, at this moment, were deeply imprinted in the hearts of all witnesses.