In the great hall, one could hear a pin drop; even the sound of breathing had seemingly ceased. The pungent stench of blood permeated the air. The immensely shocking scene left Elder Chu and the others unable to react for a moment. They had encountered many crises before, but never one that escalated so rapidly. In just an instant, the prey had ruthlessly crushed their men.
Jiang Man’s aloof voice slowly echoed. "He said he didn’t mind, but when I thrust my sword in, he minded. What a hypocrite." Shaking his head, he looked at Elder Chu beside him. "I’ve been invincible in the Primordial Spirit Realm lately, so my ego has inflated a bit. I can only let you all suffer the consequences."
Only then did Elder Chu finally react. Violence flashed in his eyes as the aura of Primordial Spirit Perfection erupted from him in a split second. Immediately after, the hall’s Arrays resonated with his power, runes lighting up sequentially from the floor to the walls. His strength had even doubled.
"Invincible in the Primordial Spirit Realm? You?" Elder Chu roared furiously.
A terrifying coercion pressed down upon them. It wasn’t just him; the other elders unleashed their might as well. The entire hall began to quake, and stone debris rained down from the dome, seemingly unable to withstand the horrifying pressure.
Shen Yao and her group were astounded. These people were putting their lives on the line, while Shen Yao’s group was restricted by the Arrays. As the enemy grew stronger, their own strength was suppressed. They were doomed. Even if their New Skills gave them an advantage, they might not necessarily come out unscathed.
"We’ll kill you first! Only then will you understand the price of touching our people," Elder Chu’s deep, resonant voice boomed.
A powerful force roared toward them.
Meanwhile, Qiaoyue was heading toward the great hall via Sword Control. She had already delivered the captives; the rest was up to Elder Chu and his group. From the looks of it, there wouldn’t be any unexpected mishaps. When she returned, she most likely wouldn’t see the high-spirited Jiang Man anymore. All that would be left was a despairing Jiang Man devoid of a future. She wondered if he would still be able to utter those speech-rendering words. With these thoughts in mind, she proceeded at a leisurely pace.
However, at this very moment, a Taiyang suddenly rose into the sky. Its radiant light illuminated the entire island, scorching even the thick mist until it thinned out. Then, the Taiyang expanded madly, as if it were about to swallow the island whole. Immediately after, it plummeted from the sky. Carrying a terrifying coercion, it crushed all opposing forces.
Even Qiaoyue, who was using Sword Control, was forced to drop from the sky. Her feet smashed heavily into the ground, sending shattered stones flying in all directions. In the Primordial Spirit Realm, no one could remain suspended in midair under such absolute pressure.
Following that...
BOOM!
The Taiyang crashed down, smashing into the mountain peak. The earth quaked and the peak crumbled. All Arrays shattered, their power dissipating into specks of light. A massive shockwave expanded in all directions, uprooting trees and sending giant boulders tumbling down.
Qiaoyue stared blankly in the direction of the Taiyang. It was exactly where the great hall was located. Daring not to hesitate, she sped over via Sword Control.
Soon, she arrived at the site, only to find the great hall completely gone. The mountain peak had been leveled to the ground, leaving behind nothing but a scorched, blackened crater. Elder Chu and the others lay on the ground, their flesh and blood a mangled mess. However, they still clung to their final breaths.
Hovering in midair, Jiang Man’s robes fluttered wildly in the aftermath of the shockwave. His voice remained perfectly calm. "I told you, I am invincible in the Primordial Spirit Realm. Even with your Array buffs, your swarming tactics, and your higher Realms suppressing me, I remain invincible." Saying this, he looked at the newly arrived Qiaoyue. "With just this, do you dare challenge me in the Primordial Spirit Realm?"
Qiaoyue glared dead-on at Jiang Man.
"I don’t blame you. You are not an Unparalleled Celestial Pride, so naturally, you cannot comprehend just how powerful I am in the Primordial Spirit Realm," Jiang Man said, looking at the woman before him. He asked softly, "Now, do you think anyone can stop us from leaving?"
"An Unparalleled Celestial Pride?" Qiaoyue stared blankly at him. "You claim you are an Unparalleled Celestial Pride?"
Jiang Man shook his head slightly, his tone soft. "I am a heaven-spanning, earth-shattering Unparalleled Celestial Pride. The title of Unparalleled Celestial Pride is merely the minimum threshold required to understand me."
Qiaoyue stared at the man in front of her. In the past, she would have found his words laughable. Though she still found them ridiculous now, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh.
Jiang Man paid no mind to her reaction. Extending a hand, he offered, "Do you want to step up and test my true measure?"
Qiaoyue looked at him, her expression growing increasingly icy. Finally, she said calmly, "So what if your Talent is peerless and you are formidable in the Primordial Spirit Stage? In the end, didn’t you still open the Supreme Heart Hall for me, acting as nothing but a stepping stone?"
Hearing this, Jiang Man burst into laughter. "You don’t understand me, so you can’t fathom what exactly I intend to do."
This single sentence rendered Qiaoyue silent once more.
Behind him, Shen Yao and the others, who had just recovered their senses, felt incredibly fortunate. They rejoiced that they were standing on Jiang Man’s side rather than against him. Being his enemy was truly a terrifying prospect.
Furthermore, Shen Yao finally realized that he had truly achieved Great Success in the Nine-star Series. She couldn’t comprehend how someone with such terrifying Talent could exist in this world. He had achieved Hundred Rivers Great Success before the age of thirty, and now, in his early thirties, he had reached Nine Stars Great Success. It was truly despair-inducing.
At first, they had been rivals. Later, she found herself desperately chasing after him. Now, she could only see his back, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before even that disappeared from her sight. Looking back, she realized that the first time they met was actually the closest she would ever be to him.
Qiaoyue didn’t think Jiang Man had done anything particularly significant, so she didn’t probe further. She merely asked, "With such high Talent, have you ever wondered how far you can go in the end?"
Jiang Man shook his head. "No."
Pausing for a moment and seeing that she was about to continue, he beat her to the punch. "My path has no end."
The words Qiaoyue was about to say caught in her throat. She stared at him and asked, "Do you understand your Dao companion?"
Jiang Man shook his head again. "Not very well."
"She is someone who practices Forget Love and is devoid of feelings. She massacred her own kin, and in her eyes, you are no different," Qiaoyue said softly, looking straight at him. "Your becoming her Dao companion is just a part of her plan—a way to make you bear some of her burdens, thereby paving her path to the very end."