They hadn't anticipated that Ji Changkong could so swiftly reverse the disadvantage, turning the tables to press Zhuang Yan. Yet, after her initial shock, Zhuang Yan felt no overwhelming panic.

Based on her years of experience, it was true that a young cultivator might momentarily erupt with power far exceeding their true realm by utilizing some unorthodox secret art or an ancient divine weapon. However, such borrowed strength, not earned through diligent cultivation, rarely lasted long, nor could the wielder master it completely; mismanaging it often meant playing with fire and inviting self-destruction.

In Zhuang Yan's estimation, Ji Changkong’s sudden surge of power placed him in precisely this perilous predicament; if she simply held her ground, it wouldn't take long for Ji Changkong's seemingly fierce assault to collapse on its own, allowing her to capture or kill him effortlessly. A searing pillar of fire descended from the heavens, its intense daylight blazing directly upon the crown of Zhuang Yan's head.

Without any visible movement from her, a vast conflagration erupted around her. From a distance, Zhuang Yan appeared to be held within a roaring inferno, baked by the Solar Fire, making observers worry she would be instantly reduced to ash by the intense heat.

The Five-Colored Garden slowly contracted but struggled to suppress the raging flames. Even the azure Heavenly Thunders, suspended near Zhuang Yan, were forced to shift aside, lest they be ignited by the overwhelming, soaring pyre encircling her.

Unlike Ji Changkong, Zhuang Yan was an unadulterated Bagua Heavenly Master, having ascended through the One Origin Heaven over long ages of grueling practice. A Bagua Heavenly Master could allow their spirit to wander among the sun and moon, tempering flesh and soul with their celestial essence; naturally, those who could roam the cosmos could also borrow the brilliance of the sun and moon.

Zhuang Yan invoked the Tiger Aspect Heaven, communing with the Sacred Beast Vermillion Bird, cultivating Fire elemental power in the Five Elements Heaven, and possessing the ability to traverse the Sun in the Bagua Heaven, harnessing the domineering intensity of sunlight. When the Sacred Beast Vermillion Bird's Fire Element power and the fierce light of the blazing sun combined, the resulting tyrannical, world-scorching flame instantly materialized, so ferocious that all were compelled to yield ground.

Licks of intense flame, like fiery serpents, snaked out from the inferno surrounding Zhuang Yan, winding towards the azure Heavenly Thunders that were slowly maneuvering away. The azure Heavenly Thunders hovered several zhang away from Zhuang Yan.

In her view, these distant explosions posed no threat. The slow contraction of the five-colored aura further confirmed her assessment: Ji Changkong must surely be exhausted.

Therefore, she chose to initiate an offensive! "Heh heh!" To everyone's surprise, Ji Changkong let out a low chuckle, the sound strangely layered.

Upon closer listening, one could discern a tone of derision, as if everything had unfolded exactly as he foresaw, and he had merely been waiting for Zhuang Yan to strike first. As this low laugh echoed, Chu Shanxin's heart unexpectedly fluttered.

She vaguely sensed that something was amiss, yet she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong with the situation. It felt as if a sharp fishbone, impossible to dislodge, had suddenly lodged in her chest, causing a deep disquiet.

"Be careful!" Xiao Xing, the head of the Xiao family, who was being closely watched by Yu Chi Yuan from afar, suddenly called out loudly. Ji Changkong's current display far surpassed Xiao Xing's expectations.

None of the Xiao clan members had anticipated that the Xuanyuan heir of this generation would be so formidable, daring to challenge Zhuang Yan, who resided in the peak Bagua Heaven realm, while only at the Six Harmonies Heaven stage. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, this event would irrevocably cement Ji Changkong's importance to the Xiao family.

Once this matter concluded, no one in the Xiao clan would obstruct the alliance between the Xiao and Ji families, for Ji Changkong had proven, in his own way, that he was absolutely trustworthy and worthy of their considerable investment. "It will be fine; Changkong's power is not limited to this," Xiao Shu murmured quietly to himself, having witnessed Ji Changkong's might in the Azure Void Valley, his expression remaining perfectly calm.

At that very instant! The distant azure Heavenly Thunders suddenly shot towards a central, intensely glowing mass of lightning, far larger than the others.

Unexpectedly, instead of exploding upon impact, the thunders merged in a bizarre, uncanny fashion. In a single moment, dozens of azure Heavenly Thunders fused, evolving into a single, man-sized sphere of azure lightning.

As everyone watched, this sphere of azure thunder writhed and transformed, resolving itself into a tall, slender figure. This was another Ji Changkong!

Yet, this figure was completely unclothed, perpetually enveloped by crackling lightning, the sound of thunder held in check but faintly audible from within its form. A terrifyingly violent surge of thunderous energy erupted from this body composed purely of Heavenly Thunder.

Before Zhuang Yan could react, this figure, moving with speed comparable to actual lightning, suddenly materialized beside her and charged toward her without hesitation. Rumble!

Amidst the tumultuous thunder, piercing flares of fiery light shot skyward. The sounds of lightning were ceaseless, and fire sputtered everywhere.

The area where Zhuang Yan stood descended into extreme chaos. With every clap of thunder, Zhuang Yan couldn't help but curse loudly.

Wisps of smoke, fragmented light, and ethereal mist mingled, creating a spectacle both brilliant and bizarre. When the smoke finally cleared and Zhuang Yan’s figure gradually became visible, her robes were tattered, her streaked, white hair smoking, and she stood panting, grinding her teeth and ceaselessly cursing Ji Changkong for his perfidy.

Seeing Zhuang Yan's disheveled state, the Xiao clan members burst into loud laughter, feeling as if the arrogance of Chu Shanxin and her companions had been severely suppressed, granting them a sense of vindication. "How was it?

Quite a taste, wasn't it?" Ji Changkong smiled humbly, though a mocking angle involuntarily curled the corner of his lips. The three realms beyond the Six Harmonies Heaven stage are known as the Inner Three Harmonies: unifying Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Essence refers to vital blood, seminal fluid, and saliva; Qi is the body's vital energy; and Spirit encompasses consciousness, will, perception, and the soul. Once Essence, Qi, and Spirit are unified, one can even imbue life into divine weapons.

Although he hadn't reached this final stage, having studied the Illusory Void Realm for so long, Ji Changkong had gained some insight. By injecting the power of Essence, Qi, and Spirit into the azure Heavenly Thunders, and incorporating a portion of Five Elements elemental power, he had fashioned a pure Thunder Body coalesced from lightning.

Because this body contained a trace of his blood and a sliver of his soul, he could control it via his spirit. Furthermore, as the body carried the charge of lightning, it possessed the swiftness of an electric arc.

Deploying such a move unexpectedly left no room for defense, even catching Zhuang Yan off guard. However, Zhuang Yan possessed the cultivation of a Bagua Heavenly Master.

Her mastery of traversing the Blazing Sun meant she was not new to the Bagua Heaven realm; thus, despite such a ferocious attack, Zhuang Yan appeared merely disheveled, her physical body suffering no critical harm. Nevertheless, to outsiders, Zhuang Yan appeared to be losing the contest against Ji Changkong.

The towering fire serpents she had unleashed had vanished entirely amidst the earth-shattering explosions, and her own wretched appearance clearly suggested she was inferior to Ji Changkong at this moment. "You...

you despicable brat!" Zhuang Yan cried out in anger, abandoning all pretense of composure amidst her ragged state. Being put in such a sorry plight by a junior merely at the Six Harmonies Heaven stage, with so many peers watching, Zhuang Yan felt utterly humiliated.

The prestige she had accumulated over many years seemed to crumble in that single instant—a devastating blow to one who had struggled so hard for so long. "We had long heard that the Ji family's Xuanyuan lineage was formidable, but seeing it firsthand, one realizes their power surpasses legend by far," Chu Shanxin said, her face grave, a wry smile escaping her normally curved lips.

She turned to Song Yu and Changsun Deyun, "It seems, then, that we must still trouble our two uncles for their efforts." Where Yu Chi Yuan stood watching Xiao Xing, his expression hardened, a sharp glint appearing in his eyes as he looked toward a tall, withered old man who suddenly stepped forward. "Xiao Poshang!" Yu Chi Yuan gasped, his tension deepening.

"Uncle Shan." "Grandpa Shan." "Great-Grandpa Shan." Upon seeing the elder, all the Xiao clan members bowed deeply, their eyes showing undisguised delight. Xiao Poshang possessed a magnificent physique.

Though his hair was streaked with white due to age, his eyes sparkled with intense clarity. His gaze swept over the crowd like two gleaming daggers; whoever he looked at felt as if they had been stabbed, becoming deeply uncomfortable.

Xiao Poshang had a large frame and a notably long face, but coupled with his stature, he exuded the heavy, mountain-like pressure of an immovable peak. Xiao Poshang frowned, his gaze settling on Yu Chi Yuan, and he roared like a massive bell, "You little whelp!

Do you think this old man has passed on? Dare you cause such a disturbance at my Xiao family residence!" As the words fell, Xiao Poshang unleashed a punch.

The fist swelled in the void, its kinetic force not only as heavy as a mountain but its shadow as vast as one too. As it hurtled toward Yu Chi Yuan, the punch enveloped a hundred-meter radius around him, its violent, ferocious power like a tidal wave sweeping the sky, leaving no path for evasion.

Yu Chi Yuan, who had been focused on Xiao Xing, turned pale. His bones snapped and cracked audibly as he abruptly shrank into the shape of a dwarf.

However, as his body diminished, his strength and aura continually intensified. Just as Xiao Poshang's iron fist descended, Yu Chi Yuan suddenly bent his knees and kicked the ground.

A tremendous, booming sound resonated from deep within the earth. Soil and mud fused and gathered, and three towering apes made of grey earth roared silently toward the sky, joining forces to intercept Xiao Poshang's sweeping iron fist.

Each of the three giant apes, condensed from the power of the earth, stood ten zhang tall, their muscles knotted, brimming with explosive strength. Their silent roaring seemed to proclaim the sheer ferocity of their power.

Alas, when Xiao Poshang's iron fist slammed down, the three grey earth apes could not withstand it for even a moment. Amidst the flying dust, the three apes disintegrated, returning to the soil.

The iron fist shattered the apes and then, with devastating force, excavated a bottomless chasm in the earth. The entire Xiao residence shook as if in an earthquake, and several stone structures collapsed under the shockwave emanating from beneath the ground.

"All of you, get out! Immediately!" Xiao Poshang bellowed.

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