Ran Tianfeng couldnât help but re-evaluate Su Yi.
This young man in blue was far too strange. He was obviously only in the Spiritual Incarnation Realm, yet it seemed heâd long since anticipated their arrival.
Furthermore, he didnât seem the least bit concerned about their names, origins, or even their cultivations!
Ran Tianfeng had long since stepped into the Imperial Realm, and he was currently an early-stage Profound Illumination Emperor. It had been a long time since heâd encountered a situation like this.
Those beneath the Imperial level were ants.
Since when were ants so gutsy?
Unless the young man in blue had an extremely powerful backer? A backer so strong that he neednât fear even Emperors?
Ran Tianfeng thought for a moment, then said, âFellow Daoist, this has nothing to do with you. So long as you donât intervene, we wonât harm a hair on your head.â
He spoke politely, much as he had to Cui Jingyan.
But his attitude was firm: he wasnât leaving without the old blind man of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers!
Su Yi put away his wicker chair, then said calmly, âYouâre welcome to try and see if you can take him away.â
Daoist Nun Feng and the others were flabbergasted. Since when were Spirit Dao cultivators so brazen in front of Emperors?
The disheveled beggar was so angry that he laughed. âYoung man, weâre already being quite polite to you. If you dare act up, weâll have to resort to rudeness.â
But Su Yi ignored him completely. Instead, he looked directly at Ran Tianfeng. âDo you dare try it?â
It was just a few words, but they seemed utterly provocative.
In their eyes, Su Yi was much like an ant so ignorant of its own strength that it was trying to provoke a deity. How ludicrous! And how utterly suicidal!
Even Ran Tianfeng furrowed his brow, but a moment later, he laughed. âVery well. Iâll just have to show you what youâre up against; then youâll retreat.â
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He was increasingly certain that Su Yi had extraordinary origins.
However, as an Emperor, he wouldnât shrink back over something like that. He figured that if he taught the boy a lesson and made him suffer a little pain, heâd inevitably lower his head!
âIf you please!â Ran Tianfeng gripped his jade flute, then gestured to Su Yi.
His three companions retreated further away, but when they looked at Su Yi, their eyes were full of pity.
Cui Jingyan and the old blind man retreated too.
When they looked at Ran Tianfeng, they had a strange look on their faces.
âDonât say I didnât warn you. If you donât use your full power, youâll only lose even quicker,â said Su Yi.
As this light, airy declaration rang out, he leaped forward.
He was tall and upright beneath the light of heaven, his clothing swaying around him. As he approached, his gait seemed unhurried, yet he moved rapidly. In a flash, he was just ten feet from Ran Tianfeng.
Boom!
He clenched his hand into a fist and punched explosively.
Dazzling blue light burst into being, suppressing and collapsing the skies. Its radiance illuminated the nine heavens.
Shock and alarm arose on Ran Tianfengâs face.
With his cultivation base and combat experience, he immediately sensed how powerful this punch was, but he nonetheless found it a bit difficult to believe.
He couldnât even imagine how a young Spiritual Incarnation Realm cultivator could unleash such power.
However, although Ran Tianfeng was inwardly shaken, his reactions didnât slow. He waved his sleeves as he met Su Yiâs fist.
Bang!!!
Destructive energy fluctuations spread out from the point of impact.
The trees, grasses, and boulders of the mountaintop shattered with a bang, then dissipated into powder. The entire peak trembled violently, then split into pieces and tumbled down the mountainside.
Amidst the churning smoke and dust, Ran Tianfengâs thin figure swayed, and he almost lost his footing!
While his face was visibly overcome with uncertainty.
What a powerful punch!
This power completely transcended the Spiritual Revolution Realm. It was unbelievable!
When Daoist Nun Feng and the others saw this, they were so stunned that their jaws almost fell off. That kid can actually shake an Emperor?
Thatâs absurd!
The mountaintop collapsed, and everything around them shook. The group now stood in open air.
Su Yi had already risen into the sea of clouds. He said calmly, âCome on and fight me!â
âIt seems I indeed misjudged you earlier. I wouldnât have thought you were such a heaven-defying figure within the Spirit Dao,â said Ran Tianfeng. As he spoke, he stepped through the air, stopping just one hundred feet or so from Su Yi.
His clothing fluttered around him, and he circulated his Imperial aura. That terrifying majesty suppressed the surrounding skies, dissipating the clouds with a boom.
âIf you please!â Ran Tianfeng asked again.
However, unlike before, this Emperor of the Netherworld Sky Sect was obviously using his full power. His aura blanketed the skies and blotted out the sun!
When Su Yi saw this, he subtly inclined his head.
Clang!
Abstruse Celestial appeared, and Su Yiâs aura transformed, becoming sharp, unrestrained, and as contemptuous as a deity.
The clear hum of a sword rang out as charged, sword in hand.
Boom!
The surrounding mountains trembled, and sword intent as boundless as the cosmos swept forth with irrepressible force.
Its overflowing might shook heaven and earth.
Even watching from afar, Daoist Nun Feng and the others felt as if their souls had left their bodies. They were visibly overcome as they realized how completely and utterly theyâd underestimated the young man in blue!
They had to admit to themselves that in Ran Tianfengâs shoes, they wouldnât have been able to block this attack!
Now that heâs reached the late-stage Spiritual Incarnation Realm, Brother Su is even stronger than when he suppressed the Third LibationerâŚÂ Cui Jingyan thought to herself. She too was stunned.
âWonderful!â Ran Tianfeng shouted, then put away his jade flute. His thin frame suddenly expanded, becoming as towering as a mountain, and his blood and qi overflowed with deep and unfathomable power, like an abyss or the pits of hell.
All of a sudden, he seemed to transform into a demonic god. With every breath he took, the skies quivered and the landscape shook.
Boom!
Ran Tianfeng swung his fist, stirring up a wave of black Dao Light. It ripped through the skies, as if intent on shattering the entire landscape.
Fist force and sword qi clashed, the impact reverberating throughout the entire stretch of heaven and earth. Countless streaks of sword qi swept outward, their divine radiance dazzling to behold.
An utterly terrifying scene unfolded throughout the surrounding ten thousand feet of sky!
What they found unbelievable was that even in a direct clash, Ran Tianfeng didnât gain even the slightest advantage. On the contrary, the power of Su Yiâs slash left him swaying on his feet.
This left them almost overcome with shock.
Since when could Spiritual Incarnation cultivators shake Emperors!?
Ran Tianfeng was beside himself with astonishment too, and his expression shifted erratically. He now realized how strong his opponent was, and the last traces of contempt vanished from his heart. Now, he took this seriously.
Su Yi attacked once more, not pausing even once.
After all, his opponent was an Emperor, and one whoâd proven his Dao through the power of his flesh. The power of a body refiner was far beyond typical cultivators of the same realm.
Su Yi dared not get complacent, and when he attacked, he didnât hold back in the slightest!
A grand battle broke out, just like that.
Streaks of sword qi ran rampant through the skies. Sometimes, they took on the form of raging winds. Sometimes, they were like a sudden downpour, the river of heaven breaking through a dam. Sometimes, they were solid and heavy, with a boundless aura. Other times, they transformed into dazzling lines of light that interwove in the sky.
Every streak of sword qi was infused with profound and inscrutable Mysterious Truths of the Grand Dao. The power of Su Yiâs terrifying foundation in the late-stage Spiritual Incarnation Realm was now on full display.
From a distance, he resembled a celestial immortal performing a sword dance, his divine majesty shaking the firmament!
Ran Tianfeng didnât hold back.
Although he fought barehanded, he was a body refiner, and his flesh itself was like a divine weapon. Every movement could incinerate mountains, boil seas, and overturn heaven and earth.
As he took action, black Dao Light ran rampant, manifesting numerous illusory yao gods. His momentum was forceful and tyrannical.
Boom! Boom!
One mountain after another crumbled, its boulders and vegetation reduced to ash. The entire landscape was in upheaval. Rocks and sand flew through the air, and the skies darkened.
It was truly an apocalyptic scene.
âIs it⌠really possible for a Spiritual Incarnation Realm cultivator to wield such power?â Daoist Nun Feng paled, overcome with astonishment.
Her companions, the disheveled beggar and Qian Jiu, each felt a chill in their hands and feet. This came as a severe blow to their perception of reality.
And as Ran Tianfeng fought, waves of shock coursed through his heart. Where the hell did this boy come from? What kind of Dao does he cultivate? His foundations and sword intent are a bit too terrifying, arenât they?
As an Emperor, heâd seen countless heaven-defying figures, but this was his first time meeting a Spiritual Incarnation cultivator capable of contending with Emperors!
No matter how steady his heart was, he found it difficult to remain calm.
What really shook him was that as the battle continued, even fighting with his full strength, no matter what body refiner secret arts he unleashed, he couldnât take Su Yi down. This was true even though he no longer held back.
If anything, Su Yiâs swordsmanship was forcing him back, bit by bit! He was starting to feel trapped, as if he were running out of options!
How is this possible? When did a heaven-defying monster like this appear in the Netherworld? Just where did he come from? How could he possess such a terrifying cultivation base?
Ran Tianfeng had only just thought this when a streak of sword qi flashed past, slicing his shoulder with a spray of blood.
If he hadnât dodged right in the knick of time, that slash would have taken his arm off!
Ran Tianfeng visibly lost his composure. His eyes widened, and a possibility occurred to him, something heâd never even considered before.
Donât tell me that⌠Iâm going to lose to a Spiritual Incarnation cultivator?
Ran Tianfeng took a deep breath, cast aside his scattered thoughts, and used his last resort without any further hesitation.
Boom!
He rose to his full height, then instantly expanded into a thousand-foot-tall yao god. A pair of hundred-foot black wings unfurled behind him, and dense black scales spread across his skin.
A single sharp, pitch-black horn sprouted from his forehead, its edge as sharp as a blade.
A waterfall of terrifying blood-colored lighting poured out of his massive frame, and an aura of destruction permeated the entire landscape.
Crimson lightning churned throughout the surrounding skies, tearing open countless charred, startling rifts!
âThisâŚâ Cui Jingyan and the old blind man were stunned. The sense of an impending, lethal threat bore down on them both.
âThe Netherworld Sky Nine Revolutions ScriptureâCosmic Imitation!â
Daoist Nun Feng and the others looked astonished but excited.
This was the loftiest inheritance of the Netherworld Sky Sect, in which a yao body refiner activated the power of their true formâs bloodline and talent. When activated, their strength soared to new heights!
Furthermore, they could display all manner of mighty, unbelievable divine abilities!
But when Su Yi saw this, he inwardly shook his head. So, youâre a Netherblood Bird⌠However, youâve barely grasped the art of Cosmic Imitation; I wouldnât even call this minor success. Youâve at best crossed the thresholdâŚ
He still remembered âdiscussing the Daoâ with the Netherworld Sky Sectâs top expert, the Master of Profound Simplicity, in his past life. He could grow to one hundred thousand feet tall in a flash!