The moment a vast, surging aura erupted from Chen Mo's body—
Countless onlookers were left utterly stunned. After exchanging wide-eyed glances, they gasped in unison, followed by a chorus of exclamations.
"He broke through... to Dou Wang?!"
Die's eyes narrowed slightly. She wasn't all that surprised. After all, before her memory loss, she'd seen Chen Mo leap all the way to the Dou Huang realm in a single bound.
"Swordfall from the Nine Heavens!"
With a fierce cry, Chen Mo slashed down with Mo Yan. A blinding sword intent descended from the heavens above, tearing through the sky and colliding with the massive net of flames.
A deep explosion echoed outward, the resulting shockwaves rippling violently and distorting the very air around them.
In the next moment, the blue sea of fire was ripped apart by the overpowering sword intent, breaking into wisps of flame that surged toward Chen Mo.
In an instant, the temperature across the battlefield skyrocketed.
Even the void seemed to warp and twist under the searing heat.
Chen Mo clenched his right hand, and cyan flames surged forth, wrapping around his body to form a blazing protective shield.
With a sharp snap, the Kunpeng Wings unfurled behind him, and the golden feathers flared out as he launched himself toward Han Feng like a blazing meteor.
A cold and distant voice echoed through the air:
"That Heartflame of yours... I'll be taking it."
"Arrogant brat! Yuan Yi, don't hold back! Kill him!" Han Feng barked coldly.
As his words fell, his arm suddenly trembled.
The Heartflame on his right hand detached and flew out, forming into a glowing blue fireball that shot toward Chen Mo like a cannonball.
As it soared through the air, the temperature spiked once more—blistering hot like a volcanic eruption.
Where the fireball passed, the very fabric of space seemed to ripple and fold, warping like a heat haze over a scorching desert.
"Mystic Gate Illusion Shield!"
Yuan Yi's sleeves flared as pale cyan Dou Qi gathered from all directions. He pointed at Chen Mo, and in an instant—
Cyan gates materialized above, below, and behind Chen Mo, locking him inside a perfectly sealed barrier, save for a single opening straight ahead—forcing him to take the fireball head-on.
The overwhelming heat cast a heavy silence over the sky.
Die, worried for Chen Mo, tried to break away from Gold Elder, but he kept her tightly bound in battle.
"Heh. Your fight is with me!"
But Chen Mo didn't try to dodge. Instead, a terrifying sword intent surged from his blade and body, his eyes narrowing.
In that moment, he became the sword, and the sword became him.
With both hands, he lifted Mo Yan to his eye level.
As the fireball neared, a chilling gleam flashed across the edge of the sword.
In the blink of an eye, the blue fireball collided with Chen Mo's body in a deafening explosion.
Thunder cracked through the skies like a collapsing mountain. The roar was so intense that countless people briefly lost their hearing.
Under the moonlight, a whirlwind of violent energy erupted from the sea of fire, sweeping across the heavens in a terrifying wave.
"C-Chen Mo..." Die stood frozen, staring at the white-robed figure swallowed by flames.
Han Feng and Yuan Yi floated side by side in the air. But even as the flames raged, neither looked relieved.
It had been... too easy. So easy that it left them unsettled.
The next second, Han Feng sensed a devastating sword intent erupt from the flames.
From the heart of the blue inferno, a streak of shadowy black light shot out like a phantom, slicing through the air and flashing past Han Feng's eyes.
A spray of warm blood splashed across Han Feng's face.
He turned stiffly to the side.
Beside him, Yuan Yi's chest had been pierced clean through—leaving a gaping, fist-sized hole that spewed blood like a fountain.
Yuan Yi's voice rasped in disbelief. His Dou Qi Wings dissolved instantly, and his body plummeted toward the ground like a stone.
Up in the sky, the Snake-people warriors, Die, and even the Gold and Silver Elders twitched at the corners of their mouths.
A proud three-star Dou Huang, slain in a single strike.
The experts of the Black-Corner Region and the Snake-people stared in shock toward the distant heavens behind Han Feng.
There, a white-robed youth stood proudly atop a dark blue longsword, holding a black blade in his hand.
His robes were immaculate—snow-white, untouched by blood.
No one had expected Chen Mo to emerge completely unscathed from Han Feng's overpowering strike.
Yue Mei, Yin Shi, and others narrowed their eyes. They knew something else.
Chen Mo... hadn't even used the technique he employed to kill Jia Xingtian last time.
Far above, Han Feng's face was not only grim but visibly pale.
He'd already expected that the fireball wouldn't be enough to kill Chen Mo—but not even ruffle his robe?
"So this is the realm of Man and Sword as One..."
Chen Mo was a little surprised himself.
After perfecting the Heavenly Sword Physique, his mastery of the sword had reached an unimaginable level.
The previous strike had fused his body with the sword—melding fully with Mo Yan.
In that moment, his power, speed, defense, and burst potential had undergone a qualitative transformation.
He had chosen to target Yuan Yi rather than Han Feng—because Han Feng was an eight-star Dou Huang. He wasn't confident in killing him with a single strike.
But the result had exceeded even Chen Mo's expectations.
"That Heavenly Flame of yours... I'm taking it."
Without hesitation, Chen Mo once again fused with his sword and charged straight at Han Feng.
"Hmph! Don't think I don't know—your power boost must be time-limited. Once it runs out and your strength reverts, killing you will be as easy as crushing a bug!" Han Feng growled.
"Then survive this first, tough guy!"
In the blink of an eye, the black sword light reached Han Feng.
"Fool! You think you can kill me?!"
Blue flames erupted from Han Feng's body, rapidly forming into a blazing shield of fire around him.
With a surge of Dou Qi, the shield not only blocked Chen Mo's strike—it repelled it, sending him flying backward.
Chen Mo didn't rush in again.
Because Han Feng was right—this power boost had a time limit.
"Then let's see how you handle this next move."
Standing atop the dark abyss of the sky, Chen Mo's starry eyes narrowed.
Mo Yan returned to his waist in a sheathed stance.
"Heaven-Splitting Draw Sword Art!"
With a fierce shout, Chen Mo drew his blade and slashed!
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