Chapter 155: Descent of the Divine Radiance

Chapter 155: Divine Light Descends

In these times, only strength grants status and identity.

Li Yuancheng understood this better than anyone.

In the past, it was precisely because of his lack of power that he was expelled from the imperial capital and ended up in this small town.

“Just wait,” he muttered to himself.

When he finally broke through to the Grandmaster realm, even if the Empire knew of his past indiscretions, they would only seek to recruit him.

After all, on the battlefield, humanity was at a disadvantage.

The Empire desperately needed formidable warriors.

In special circumstances, leniency was possible.

Besides, he only intended to trade with the barbarians, not to worship their gods or betray the Empire.

His thoughts spun wildly, as if intoxicated, breath ragged and pupils dilated.

He knew his time was limited; the breakthrough of his primordial spirit cultivation clearly couldn’t be suppressed by any clear water elixir.

He had to hurry to complete his mission and seize the crystal stones.

...

Just then, a surge of tiger-headed blade shadows crashed toward him like a tidal wave.

Within the flurry of blades, he glimpsed an old man with white hair and a face pocked like an orange peel.

“A Tiger’s Soul Blade… and a Grandmaster?”

Li Yuancheng’s earlier ambition was instantly drenched in cold water.

Shock surged in his heart; bloodshot eyes flared with greater intensity.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword fiercely in a Dragon-Slaying Slash.

He knew there was no dodging an attack from a Grandmaster.

Reaching this realm meant mastering the transformation of blood into qi, manipulating the surrounding energy’s flow, and locking one’s spirit in all directions—standard abilities at this level.

Amidst the dragon’s roar and tiger’s howl, golden and crimson lights collided and clashed violently.

Dirt and stones flew, trees toppled.

The two figures stood locked in combat for a moment, exchanging countless blows and slashes.

Lin Feihu staggered back over ten steps, leaning on his blade, clutching his chest as he coughed violently.

A sword wound gaped across his chest, blood pouring freely, yet he did not glance down.

Black froth seeped from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes shone with a smile.

Meanwhile, Li Yuancheng, standing some distance away, stared down at his own chest, eyes wide with disbelief.

There was a clean, penetrating hole through his vest.

“I’m a Grandmaster too; how could I possibly die?”

“Grandmaster techniques never rely on brute force to harm, but on qi that pierces the heavens. You’re still far from that,” Lin Feihu said after coughing.

Despite his air of mastery and confidence in victory, Lin Feihu knew he had lost as well.

For years, he had been barely holding on to his injured body, unwilling to waste a single ounce of strength unless absolutely necessary, just to cling to life a little longer.

He wanted to see certain people grow into adults, to witness the happiness of those he cared for throughout their lives...

This time, perhaps he truly would not survive.

Feeling his qi rapidly draining, Lin Feihu murmured with a sigh, “Master, I bear no grudge against you. It’s a pity you fell deep in the wilderness, never to be seen again.”

...

With the battle seemingly decided, everyone relaxed, but then ethereal singing echoed all around.

“Praise to my Lord, you are sunlight, you are rain…”

The diction was strange; though no one understood the language or style, the meaning was clear.

It purified the soul without awareness, making worldly matters seem trivial, awakening a desire to escape the mortal realm to green mountains and clear waters.

Further away, some weak-willed began humming along.

“The sacred spirit’s chant, the divine realm’s law.”

Suddenly shaken from his sorrow, Lin Feihu turned to see the sky filled with golden light.

The forest silently turned to ash, and the air tore open with gray-black rifts crackling with lightning and thunder.

Within the swirling vortex, colorful energies spun endlessly, and a streak of shining gold pierced through, revealing a faint silhouette.

An immense pressure descended; everyone nearby groaned in unison, nearly crushed to the ground by the overwhelming aura.

“What is this...?”

“A spatial portal.”

“The crystal stone chamber at Yuanjiang No. 1 High School can actually open a spatial portal?” Su Yuqing’s face was full of astonishment, her scream rising in pitch.

From afar came Li Yuancheng’s harsh laughter.

“Die already! Why won’t you just hand over the crystal stones? Struggling only drags you down. Now, Yuanjiang City will be buried with you.”

His heart had been pierced by Lin Feihu’s blade; though still standing firmly, his time was short.

He saw that boy destined to die first within the divine realm, and if these others died alongside, there would be little regret.

Because he had seen Xiao Nan’s figure, now firmly trapped within the golden light, clutching a gray, cloudy stone, utterly immobile.

Su Yuqing, Tang Zhixuan, and the others abandoned cleansing the remaining enemies, rushing like moths to a flame toward the golden light curtain.

But their efforts were as futile as waves crashing against reefs, unable to make a dent.

Only a blue-eyed old man in a magnificent crimson robe stood within the golden pillar, praying devoutly.

...

“I was deceived. That guy wasn’t after the crystal stones at all; he wanted to lock onto this spatial rift to summon the divine light.”

At this moment, though Li Yuancheng shouted fiercely, vowing mutual destruction, a silent regret crept into his heart.

Had he not entangled himself with the barbarians, even if he had no chance to return to the imperial capital’s clan, he could have ruled Yuanjiang City, prospered, and left a legacy—there was no harm in that.

But now it was too late.

The flesh around his chest wound continued to grow, slowly sealing the injury, but Li Yuancheng’s eyes darkened.

Without a heart, a blood and qi warrior like him, unless reaching the stage of soul manifesting, could only dissipate between heaven and earth...

Certainly, he would never appear in the so-called divine kingdom.

He never considered worshipping barbarian gods; all his faith had ever been was in himself.

...

Qin Shuang stood at a distance.

She had not remained idle during the fight, having killed a beast barbarian.

She stared fixedly at the figure within the golden light, now hopeless.

Deep within the golden vortex, a magnificent scepter inlaid with seven gems slowly took shape.

The space was already suppressed by divine power; no one could resist.

From the distant east of the city came two long, sorrowful howls, shaking the air like a tidal wave.

Someone was shouting in fury.

These were reinforcements arriving too late.

Even if they arrived, what could they do?

Against the power of the divine realm, even a Grandmaster might not break through.

Moreover, once the transformation completed, the entire city would become the enemy.

By then, it would be too late to do anything.

...