The moment Chen Mo's aura erupted, heaven and earth themselves seemed to fall silent for an instant. But in the next second, an uproar swept through the skies.
"Just a mere Dou Wang thinks he can kill a Dou Zong? Dream on!"
"Has this kid lost his mind? Saying everyone's going to die… laughable."
"..."
Yun Yun stopped her duel against the three Serpent Tribe Elders. For some reason, when she looked at Chen Mo at that moment, her heart ached inexplicably—especially when she saw Queen Medusa faint in his arms and the tears overflowing from his eyes.
"Don't! Chen Mo, take Elder Sister and leave!" Die shouted anxiously. Although she was glad to see him, their opponents were four Dou Zongs—five if you counted the Gold and Silver Elders. Even her sister hadn't been able to win against them.
She couldn't bear the thought of Chen Mo meeting the same fate.
"Hehe, leave? The path to heaven you wouldn't walk, yet you barge straight into hell. Brat, we've been looking for you," Protector Wu sneered. Turning to Protector Xuan, he grinned darkly. "Our chance for merit has arrived. Let's move!"
Protector Xuan's shadowed face twisted into a sinister smile. His cold voice rang out: "Threefold Soul Lock!"
From within the dark clouds above, three pitch-black chains shot out like lightning.
Clang!
The chains tore through the air like venomous serpents, hissing as they shot straight toward Chen Mo and the unconscious Queen Medusa.
The tips of the chains were barbed and covered with mysterious runes, spiraling energy patterns wrapping around their sharp points. Under Protector Xuan's control, they exuded a chilling aura—these were no ordinary chains of metal.
Yet Chen Mo's face was already shadowed with fury. His eyes, now completely blood-red, burst with a frightening crimson glow. With a thought, a pair of vast golden wings unfurled from his back.
He launched himself skyward toward Yun Shan, who hovered high above.
The demonic patterns of Moyan that had been circling beneath his feet shattered into thousands of glowing fragments, swirling around his body.
As the three chains neared him, those fragments gathered along his arm and condensed into a three-foot-long black longsword—the Demonbane Sword.
Activating the full power of his Human Emperor bloodline, Chen Mo swung his sword. The overwhelming sword intent collided with the oncoming chains—
Crack!
Before everyone's astonished eyes, the chains shattered completely under his strike.
"What?!"
Protector Xuan and Protector Wu both cried out in disbelief.
Ignoring their shock, Chen Mo's aura flared once more. Crimson flames erupted from his body, engulfing him entirely.
Before the stunned gazes of all present, the flames condensed into a magnificent suit of red battle armor. A black cape billowed violently behind him amidst the roaring wind.
With his Step of the Sky technique, Chen Mo vanished from sight and reappeared directly before Yun Shan.
"Old dog—die!"
He swung his sword.
The world fell silent. A beam of dazzling black-and-white energy burst forth from the blade of the Demonbane Sword.
All around, countless pupils constricted in shock.
Yun Shan's expression changed instantly. The pressure emanating from Chen Mo's sword threatened even him!
His heart trembled. His fingers flew through hand seals as his cold roar shook the heavens:
"Wind Severing Annihilation!"
A piercing screech resounded from above, and a massive azure longsword manifested above Yun Shan's head.
With a point of his finger, the enormous sword spun and slashed downward toward Chen Mo.
But before it could complete a full rotation, the Demonbane Sword crashed into it.
Crack!
The supposedly indestructible azure sword split apart, fissures spreading rapidly across its surface.
Then—Boom!—it exploded into countless motes of blue light.
Chen Mo's strike only weakened slightly before it landed squarely on Yun Shan.
Though the deflection spared Yun Shan's life, the sword still grazed his face—shearing off his right ear and his entire right arm.
Yun Shan's face contorted in agony as he screamed, retreating desperately.
Chen Mo moved to pursue, but Protector Wu, Protector Xuan, and Elder Ying Shan's combined attacks forced him to withdraw.
With the Step of the Sky, his figure flickered erratically, dodging their deadly strikes. Their combined blow only struck a fading afterimage.
Boom!
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Seeing Yun Shan missing an ear and an arm, many gasped in disbelief before their eyes turned toward the young man in white robes.
No one could have imagined that someone barely twenty years old could drive a Dou Zong powerhouse like Yun Shan to such a miserable state.
Even Protector Wu, Han Feng, and the others stared in shock.
Half a year ago, this boy had only been at the Dou Ling level—yet he could already fight Dou Huangs back then.
Now, as a Dou Wang, he could wound a Dou Zong!
If they hadn't intervened just now, Yun Shan might already have been slain.
Protector Xuan's eyes narrowed. "Protector Wu, now I understand why you called this boy a 'great merit.' If we offer him to the Hall Master, he'll be most interested indeed."
Meanwhile, Yun Yun—having withdrawn from the battle—let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing Chen Mo alive. But when her gaze fell upon Yun Shan's severed arm, her face flickered with complex emotions.
She didn't want Chen Mo to die at Yun Shan's hands—but she also didn't want Yun Shan to die by Chen Mo's sword. Now, all she could do was float silently outside the battlefield, waiting for the end.
"Brat…" Yun Shan's face darkened as he sealed his bleeding shoulder with a few taps. "You're strong, I'll admit that. But we have four Dou Zongs. What can you do against us?" Protector Wu sneered.
Even he knew it was overkill—four Dou Zongs against one Dou Wang.
But victory was all that mattered.
Let it be overkill.
Chen Mo's crimson eyes gleamed, yet his mind remained calm. His gaze swept toward Die's battle circle.
She was covered in wounds, struggling against the Gold and Silver Elders—both of whom could rival Dou Zongs in power.
The Serpent Tribe was clearly losing ground. Blood and fire engulfed all of Qinghong City.
And then, out of the corner of his eye, Chen Mo spotted Han Feng breaking free from his opponents—charging straight toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King, where Queen Medusa lay.
Rage exploded within him once more.
He had no choice but to use his trump card.
"So be it," he growled. "Let's see how strong your so-called Dou Zongs really are!"
As Protector Wu and the others rushed toward him, Chen Mo retrieved a crimson scroll from his ring. His sharp voice echoed across the skies:
"Flame-Burning Array—Rise!"
In an instant, the array unfurled. The space around them erupted into a roaring sea of fire, sealing the very air itself.
The flames swept over Protector Wu, Protector Xuan, and Elder Ying Shan—Yun Shan alone escaped the encirclement due to his injuries.
The sudden inferno shocked everyone. From this fire, an overwhelming sense of dread emanated.
Even Dou Zongs trembled—because the flames suppressed their very souls.
"We must escape!" Protector Wu and the others exchanged alarmed glances and tried to flee.
But to their horror, the surrounding space was sealed.
"Spatial Lockdown? Impossible! That's a Dou Zun-level technique! How can a mere Dou Wang—" Protector Wu's voice shook in disbelief.
Within the blazing inferno, Chen Mo poured the origin power of the Undying Demon Flame into the array.
A black-blue flame erupted, shaking heaven and earth. The heat was so intense that even the armies below could feel it.
Han Feng's pupils constricted. "A… Heavenly Flame?" he gasped.
Another one!
That boy actually possessed two Heavenly Flames!
Could he… also be cultivating the Flame Mantra?!
As the Undying Demon Flame merged into the inferno, a colossal pillar of fire burst into the sky, distorting space itself.
Then came another—a sea-green flame: the Green Lotus Core Flame.
The firestorm intensified further.
Then came violet fire.
Then scarlet fire laced with lightning.
Then silvery-white fire.
The world fell into utter shock.
How many Heavenly Flames does he have?!
Han Feng trembled violently. "This—this is impossible…"
Even Yun Yun covered her lips in disbelief, her beautiful eyes wide with awe.
Within the inferno, countless pillars of flame roared skyward, releasing boundless destructive energy.
Chen Mo clenched his fist, and the sea of fire began to contract. The three trapped Dou Zongs' faces twisted with terror.
Elder Ying Shan was the first to fall. A tidal wave of fire slammed into him, hurling him backward as blood and steam erupted from his chest.
The thick clouds above were blown apart, sunlight pouring once more over the battlefield.
Even as a three-star Dou Zong, Elder Ying Shan now coughed blood in horror.
He wanted to beg for mercy.
But Chen Mo didn't even glance at him.
Instead, he poured even more black-and-white Dou Qi into the array, accelerating its compression.
And then—
"NO!"
A heart-wrenching scream tore from Yun Yun's throat outside the battlefield.
"Die, brat!!"
Behind Chen Mo, Yun Shan appeared, a massive azure sword in hand.
The blade pierced straight through Chen Mo's back.
He had waited for this moment—while Chen Mo was focused on the array—to unleash a surprise attack.
And he succeeded.
"NO!"
Both Die and a newly awakened Queen Medusa screamed in despair.
But when the sword pierced the crimson armor—
—it only sank in less than an inch before stopping completely.
"What—impossible?!" Yun Shan's eyes widened in shock.
A radiant golden light burst from the point of impact—the same divine glow as the golden armor that had once protected Queen Medusa.
"Old dog!"
Chen Mo's golden wings flared. He spun, slashing the Demonbane Sword downward with ferocious power.
Seeing him unharmed, the despair of many turned instantly into wild relief.
Yun Shan tried to block, but in his weakened, one-armed state, it was useless.
Clang!
His azure sword shattered. His remaining arm was severed cleanly from his body.
As his face twisted with horror and agony, Chen Mo's cold voice rang in his ears:
"Old dog—die!"
With madness burning in his eyes, Chen Mo gripped his sword with both hands and unleashed all his sword intent in one final, earth-shattering strike.
Just as the blade was about to fall upon Yun Shan's head—
"Chen Mo, don't!"
A desperate cry echoed through the skies.
That familiar voice made Chen Mo's hands tremble. His gaze instinctively turned toward Yun Yun's pale, tear-streaked face.
Then, just beyond her—
Queen Medusa's face, bloodless yet resolute, her eyes filled with indescribable complexity.
****
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