The Battle Against the Ancient Sky

The combat strength forcibly catalyzed by the ancient divine art began to wane. Yan was fading, gradually losing ground, until Donghuang Taiyi seized an opening and gripped him by the head, shattering the thin barrier around him.

Having run far off, Dun still couldn’t shake his unease. With a sigh, he manipulated a technique to teleport the crystal directly to the rear. Only after confirming its arrival did he immediately turn back to aid Yan. When he got there, he saw Donghuang Taiyi drinking Yan’s blood. Dun swallowed a pill, concealed himself using the magnetic field, and at the most critical moment of the drain, struck—severing the hand that held Yan. In the same motion, he grabbed Yan and, leveraging the magnetic field, teleported him a thousand li away. He stayed behind to hold the line.

“Father, Mother… your son has failed you,” Dun murmured in his heart. Then he channeled every shred of his spiritual energy to rouse the surrounding world. The magnetic field here had long been reshaped by him, and now, at his call, it answered instantly. With mountains and rivers as his formation, he sealed Donghuang Taiyi within.

“This time, Dun will not run.”

That was Dun’s final thought.

Through the haze, Yan saw only distant mist rise. But then came the crack of rupture—the mountains split, the formation shattered. Donghuang Taiyi walked before him, Dun’s shoulder locked in his grip, and drained him dry before Yan’s eyes. A squeeze, and Dun was ground to dust. From the remains, Donghuang Taiyi drew out the Bloodline Crystal containing Dun’s soul and crushed it in his palm.

Yan could only watch. The backlash of the technique had locked his body in place; he couldn’t even roar. He was a lamb to the slaughter. As Donghuang Taiyi drew closer, Yan shut his eyes in resignation.

“Rebel! Taste my blade!” Donghuang Taiyi’s hand had just seized Yan when a voice rang out from behind, followed by a bronze sword thrust forward. With a shatter, the arm gripping Yan was hewn clean off.

“What business have the Ying clan here?” Donghuang Taiyi withdrew, a new limb already regrown, and lashed the surrounding flora toward the King of Qin—only to have them blocked by the purple aura encircling him. “A bloodline of great convergence, but your cultivation hasn’t reached the mark. Even with the Human Realm’s Ziwei True Qi, what of it? A cloud of loose energy—how could it bear the might it once held?” He pressed further, the plants surged anew, breaching the defense.

The King of Qin remained unfazed. Standing his ground, he activated his bloodline, and the vegetation withered fast, then vanished into nothing. “Mind my hair,” he said, brushing dust from his sleeve, his tone dismissive of Donghuang Taiyi, the one-time Heavenly Emperor. “I alone may struggle against you now. But that does not mean we cannot stand together.”

No sooner had the King spoken than a sonic boom tore through the distance. Donghuang Taiyi turned—and a blood-streaked figure was already upon him, fists hammering in relentless succession. Each blow threw the magnetic field inside Donghuang Taiyi into disarray, leaving him unable to counterattack between strikes. Just as Donghuang Taiyi began to adapt, the assailant withdrew sharply and evaded. A devastating sword aura slammed into him. Then, without spark or kindling, flame erupted across his back—not surface deep, but within every cell, even his very moisture igniting.

The assault wasn't over yet. With bloodshot eyes, Cisheng pointed at Donghuang Taiyi. The magnetic field within his body instantly expanded rapidly, while the external magnetic field continuously converged toward it. Donghuang Taiyi struggled, but with his limbs severed, he couldn't regenerate quickly. His severed limbs also became ignition points, flames burning into his core. Then, with another gesture from Cisheng, the magnetic field inside Donghuang Taiyi exploded in a 'Magnetic Storm'. Immediately after, the King of Qin swept his sword forward with 'One Sword to Pacify the World'. Finally, Prince Su stepped forward and delivered two seemingly plain punches. Donghuang Taiyi's body began to disintegrate, each 'Zi' starting to break apart—just like the battle between the Ancestor and Donghuang Taiyi a thousand years ago.

Under their relentless pressure, Donghuang Taiyi's vital energy surged violently, forming a powerful shockwave that repelled the three. Simultaneously, his flesh regenerated swiftly, becoming even more solid and powerful.

This time, he didn't use elemental arts. Merely raising his hand, he stirred the constellations, causing subtle changes around them—'Canon of Heaven and Earth: Shifting Stars'. Cisheng wanted to charge forward again but coughed up a mouthful of blood. The surrounding magnetic field was thrown into complete chaos; only the small area immediately around their bodies retained some order. Rashly entering the disordered zone would cause the body to fail to adapt, resulting in disorientation and loss of bodily control at best, or instant death at worst.

Cisheng roared, forcibly altering the magnetic field against the natural celestial alignment. Meanwhile, the King of Qin became completely enveloped in Ziwei True Qi, using his bloodline to hold the Ziwei Star directly above him. Prince Su's expression remained unchanged, his heart-drum thundering, while a black mist seeped from around his body. The three launched a new offensive.

However, they gained little advantage this time. Despite their flawless coordination, cunning and relentless attacks, Donghuang Taiyi always managed to deftly neutralize them, all while expending even less energy. Knowing this couldn't continue, the three once again activated their arts.

'Ying Blood: Azure Cycle Birth' 'Magnetic Pull: Flourishing Ruin' 'Ancient Blood: Solar Descent'

Donghuang Taiyi was instantly shrunk and trapped within a barely-there circle. Immediately after, his bloodline rapidly withered and his skin aged at a startling rate. At the same time, a sharp arrow shot through his flesh from outside, while behind him, a sun came crashing down. Left with no choice, he clapped his hands together, and a bell—the 'Donghuang Bell'—enveloped him in its protection.

Then, the bell tolled. The three instantly felt their heads splitting, their souls nearly separating from their flesh. Seizing the moment they spent stabilizing their spirits, Donghuang Taiyi spotted his chance, burst from the bell, and lunged first at the King of Qin, aiming to extract the Ying blood. His arm pierced through the Ziwei True Qi, only to be met by a thrust from the Zhulu Sword. 'Anchor All Living Things'

The sword energy rapidly spread from his palm into his body, swiftly severing his meridians, tendons, and bones. Cisheng seized the opportunity, slamming a palm onto him and injecting a small portion of his own blood into his body. Prince Su coordinated, pressing a finger to his brow. A violent black mist followed the energy sea to seize control of his entire form.

Cisheng's blood entered Donghuang Taiyi's body, inciting other blood within to resonate. Under the external influence, it began to rapidly separate. Donghuang Taiyi tried to struggle, but the King of Qin plunged a short blade through his crown, settling him down considerably.

Now! The three began to exert their full force. Donghuang Taiyi's body started to decompose, and the bloodlines not his own also began to be extracted, flying out from the wound in his crown—though they gradually turned black.

Donghuang Taiyi's body began to show abnormality, becoming translucent. The blood within him also started to turn golden.

Suddenly, his entire being seemed to turn ghostly, directly separating from his original shell, passing through the short blade, and floating into mid-air. 'Canon of Heaven and Earth: Moving Stars'