"My name is Tianmu," the old ape-man stated calmly as he strode into the arena, "an Elder of the Beastmen Clan and the Yellow Springs Sacred Hall."

As for Dalong, Dawang, and the others, they had retreated far back, settling into a posture of observers. Clearly, they held absolute confidence in this old fellow's strength.

"The Yellow Springs Sacred Hall." I had no idea what this supposed Sacred Hall was, but judging by the old man’s imposing aura—as if he had us completely cornered—my few companions and I had to proceed with extreme caution.

"You might as well all come at once," Tianmu announced brazenly, planting himself in the center of the field with the stance of a general defending a crucial pass.

Yet, I was acutely aware that this old man certainly possessed the corresponding strength to back up his words.

Of course, even if he hadn't spoken, we had no intention of fighting him one-on-one. Against a master of this caliber, there was truly no better strategy than joining forces.

However, among those present, perhaps only Feng Xiao, You Quan, and I had the capability to put up a meager fight against him! If You Quan were in his prime, he too would possess such ability, but alas, You Quan was severely wounded, his cultivation reduced to less than half, which drastically diminished our overall strength.

Feng Xiao stared intently at Tianmu! Then, she made sure to caution him: "Old man You Quan, you are badly hurt; you should stand down. This time, it will be up to my Lord and me to deal with this fellow. Speed First Strike."

"Be extra careful," You Quan acknowledged, knowing he couldn't help much, and wisely stepped aside.

The others instinctively drifted far away as well.

"Ready?" Tianmu asked with leisure, "Just the two of you."

"Dealing with you, the two of us are more than enough!" I retorted without showing weakness.

A strange, sharp gleam instantly flashed in Tianmu’s gloomy eyes, and a dense killing intent erupted, sudden and fierce! Like a volcano exploding without warning, the searing killing aura flooded the void, a blazing inferno that brought a suffocating, almost melting heat.

What a terrifying presence—is this the old man's true power?

Even though I was prepared, my heart couldn't help but tremble!

Feng Xiao, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me, changed expression dramatically.

Tianmu’s powerful physique suddenly burst forth with a dazzling purple flame, resembling a colossal, burning purple fireball!

This phenomenon bore a slight resemblance to the Blazing Fire Eagle Feng Xiao had unleashed earlier, transforming him into a purple man of fire! The difference was that Tianmu’s aura at this moment was far more astonishing than Feng Xiao’s had been.

But what shocked me even more were Tianmu’s eyes! As deep as dry wells, devoid of any discernible expression or thought, appearing strangely hollow and empty, yet possessing a bizarre, intangible magic, like a whirlpool sucking the very spirit of anyone who looked into them! A single glance made me feel as if I had plummeted into a bottomless abyss!

"Be careful, that old man's eyes are strange," Feng Xiao warned loudly from my side, having clearly felt the same thing I did.

"Do you know why I am called Tianmu [Heavenly Eye]?" Tianmu’s voice was devoid of emotion, yet it carried a terrifying power, as if every syllable was imbued with a soul-shaking resonance! Heavy and distant, utterly irresistible: "Because I possess a pair of Heaven Demon Eyes capable of piercing through everything."

"Heaven Demon Eyes." My mind went blank; I possessed absolutely no data on this subject: "What is that? I've never heard of it."

However, Feng Xiao was greatly alarmed: "Heaven Demon Eyes. Speed First Strike. How is this possible?"

"What exactly are the Heaven Demon Eyes?" I couldn't help but ask, "Are they very strong?"

"They do not belong to humans," Feng Xiao continued, seemingly mesmerized, "No, they should not exist in this world. Legend says only gods and demons can possess them."

"Gods and demons." I was stunned. Did gods and demons truly exist in this world? As an atheist, accepting such a fact was difficult, though in my view, what people called 'gods' were merely other beings possessing immense power.

Feng Xiao went on: "To our human understanding, the Heaven Demon Eyes are an existence far more terrifying than the Eye of Death Desire or the Illusory Demon Eye. An ordinary person might never break through the Eye of Death Desire in a lifetime, and those who reach the Illusory Demon Eye are exceedingly rare. For instance, you and I are currently at the stage of the Illusory Demon Eye, but above that is the Heaven Demon Eye—that is the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts."

"The Eye of Death Desire can see through all killing intent, even slowing down time by more than five times," Feng Xiao explained. "And the Illusory Demon Eye grants perception and reaction time double that of the Eye of Death Desire—that means ten times. Speed First Strike." Feng Xiao took a deep breath here: "And the Heaven Demon Eyes are double that of the Illusory Demon Eyes."

"Ah! Double!" I was astounded!

"If one truly cultivates the Heaven Demon Eyes! It’s not just speed and reaction, but strength also doubles in growth," Feng Xiao stated.

"Heavens, how are we supposed to fight this?" I suddenly understood! No wonder Tianmu was so confident; the gap between us was like that between a Red Moon Warrior and a Heaven Demon Warrior—simply insurmountable!

"We don't stand a chance," Feng Xiao’s voice was unexpectedly calm, but in that calmness lay an irrefutable, undeniable force, so placid it sent a chill down my spine!

But then, a faint, almost imperceptible sound reached my ears: "If you see a chance to escape, take it. I will hold him off."

I almost thought I was hallucinating, staring at Feng Xiao in disbelief. But meeting her resolute eyes, I seemed to understand everything, reading volumes in that gaze—a look that needed no concealment or disguise. Earlier, You Quan had worn the same expression to cover for You Yue.

But back then, I could understand; You Yue was You Quan’s junior, and protecting her was natural. But Feng Xiao and I? We were strangers who had only just met, even having been adversaries before. Why would she make such a sacrifice?

"Listen to me," I didn't know what secret technique Feng Xiao was using to speak to me, but seemingly no one else could hear her. And at this moment, she seemed to read my mind: "If even you die, humanity will have no future."

"You are quite perceptive," Tianmu’s icy voice seemed to resound inside my head. "If even he dies, your humanity indeed has no future, so I will never let him escape."

"Ah!" Feng Xiao’s face contorted in shock, staring at Tianmu in disbelief. "You can actually hear my secret sound transmission technique."

Everyone else around them looked confused, as if they couldn't comprehend what we were saying!

"The Heaven Demon Eyes perceive everything," Tianmu said calmly. "How could your petty trick escape my notice?"

"Damn it." Feng Xiao’s face instantly turned ashen, bordering on despair!

"Let's risk it all," I said in a low voice. "So what if he has Heaven Demon Eyes? I refuse to believe he is invincible."

"Indeed, your courage is admirable," Tianmu conceded. "But perhaps a little overconfident."

Tianmu took a slight step forward. The axe in his hand suddenly erupted with a burst of dazzling, brilliant light, expanding tremendously out of thin air before consolidating into a giant battle-axe six meters long.

Condensing Dou Qi was something masters who reached a certain level could achieve easily, but the intensity of this condensation surpassed my imagination. Even before contact, I could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within that massive, condensed Dou Qi battle-axe! One solid blow, and I certainly wouldn't survive!

What shocked me even more was that this Dou Qi battle-axe, besides possessing powerful Dou Qi fluctuations, was interwoven with even more astonishing magical fluctuations, especially Fire Magic, which seemed to have burned every Fire Element into existence, emitting waves of searing flame!

"It's the condensation of Fire Dragon Qi Flame!" Feng Xiao cried out almost involuntarily. "He's a master of both martial and magical cultivation!"

Fire Dragon Qi Flame! That was the ultimate forbidden spell of the Mafa Continent. Legend stated it was an immortal fire burning from the soul and spirit, a manifestation of maximizing one's spirit and will. It was like a frenzied agitation of Fire Elements; the intense collision between them shattered the elements' tranquility, causing them to mutate from an elemental form into a physical one, most visibly expressed as firelight, which then exploded outwards ceaselessly—that was the principle behind the Fire Dragon Qi Flame!

However, achieving this was far from easy. Controlling Fire Magic required not only astonishing magical mastery but also extremely strict demands on spiritual power. Furthermore, it placed extremely high demands on the caster's physical constitution; if the body couldn't endure it, the spell couldn't be cast.

Yet here was Tianmu, condensing this highly compressed Fire Dragon Qi Flame with apparent ease using only his own power! This showed that he possessed not only astonishing magical and martial cultivation but was also a terrifying master whose comprehension of the Dao had reached the realm of Heaven and Man!

Legend claimed only heroes from Wolong Villa could execute this dreadful ultimate technique single-handedly!

And this old ape-man before me possessed such astonishing cultivation—it was simply unbelievable!

I couldn't fathom how this old fellow had achieved it! I was certain he was the most terrifying opponent I had ever encountered!

For the first time, I deeply understood what weakness and despair meant. Facing an opponent like this, I hadn't the slightest chance of victory!

"Take this. Speed First Strike." Tianmu swung the massive Dou Qi battle-axe down from above in a frenzied chop! The dazzling light of the Dou Qi pierced the firmament, splitting the clouds and shattering the sun, plunging downward like the roar of nine heavens!

It was just one swing, but the massive condensed Dou Qi instantly magnified several times, appearing like a great mountain pressing down upon us, completely engulfing Feng Xiao and me!

I considered myself battle-hardened, having witnessed countless strange moves and ultimate skills, yet I had never seen an attack method like this—it was as if he were wielding an entire mountain as his weapon!

Instinctively, I channeled the Flying Star Movement technique to evade, but I was enveloped by an astonishing field of energy and Dou Qi all around, as if frozen in place. Even giving my all, I could barely move an inch!

"Damn it. First Strike," Feng Xiao was equally trapped, unable to escape disaster.

"Fight to the death!" I roared.

Almost simultaneously, Feng Xiao and I raised our long swords, putting all our strength into meeting the fiercely chopping axe!

Clang! Boom!

The two swords and one axe crashed together violently!

The instant they collided, an immense force shot through me!

Crack! I could almost hear the sound of bone shattering, and my sword-wielding hands went numb from the intense pain; I could only cling desperately to the long sword.

What was more astonishing was that at that moment, both Feng Xiao and I had our legs instantly driven into the soil up to our knees by the shockwave!

If not for that brief cushion, that single axe blow would have crushed the two of us into fragments.

But we had no time to celebrate!

"Take another axe strike!" Tianmu raised the ridiculously oversized Dou Qi battle-axe again! Another direct chop, slicing down upon our heads!

At this moment, neither of us could break free and could only desperately raise our long swords to take the blow head-on again!

Clang! Another dull, massive collision, and the intense Dou Qi shockwave instantly exploded outward. Feng Xiao's Phoenix Heaven Armor's protective Dou Qi was immediately blasted away!

It revealed a decaying, dark-brown hue!

I felt as if my entire body was falling apart, and my legs, already deeply embedded in the ground, were forced even deeper, sinking past my thighs. Speed First Strike.

But Tianmu raised his massive axe again, clearly intending to repeat the maneuver!

Damn it! This is too much. I had never been pushed into such a desperate state, being hammered down like a mole! If this continued, I would surely be smashed into the earth!

This old fellow’s brute strength is ridiculously immense; he's absolutely certain we can’t withstand him!

This cannot continue!

My thoughts flashed like lightning; I stamped down with both feet!

Bang! I shot out of the earth like a cannonball!

Almost simultaneously with emerging from the soil, I activated Instant Invincibility!

This was the fastest speed I could muster!

The Dragon Shadow Swift Sword struck out like lightning toward Tianmu’s vital chest area! No matter what, I had to interrupt his furious offensive; otherwise, we would never have a chance to counterattack!

However, Tianmu didn't dodge or evade my fierce assault; a flicker of amusement even crossed his eyes. He clearly didn't care about the sword aimed at his chest!

At that instant, the strange purple source of fire surrounding his body instantly condensed onto Tianmu’s chest, forming a shield the size of a buckler—a purple Dou Qi shield!

And the massive axe in his hand continued its unstoppable descent toward my head.

"Move away quickly!" A voice filled with extreme terror came from behind me—it was Feng Xiao’s desperate cry!

Ah! Not good! I fell for the trap! The moment the purple Dou Qi shield appeared, I realized the situation was dire!

But it was too late to retract my sword; damn it!

In the state of Instant Invincibility, I clearly saw that giant axe descending like a colossal mountain, leaving absolutely no room for escape!

Damn it! Risk it all! My internal Dou Qi rapidly condensed!

At almost the exact same instant! A scorching sword qi burst forth, shattering the sword tip!

Flying Star Illusion! Reduced to a single point! Body like a flying swan, traversing a thousand miles in a breath; where the will moves, the thought arrives; supremely fast and elusive, supremely illusory and untraceable, supremely solid and unbreakable! Piercing metal and shattering stone!

This piercing sword energy that shattered the blade was the strongest ultimate technique I had newly mastered: Single Cold Star!

It must be known that the greatest strength of Single Cold Star lay in its indestructible penetrating power; even if Tianmu's Dou Qi cultivation far surpassed mine, he absolutely could not escape unscathed!

And now, using it at such close range, the speed was even more astonishing!

Ah! This blindingly fast sword energy, coupled with its ability to pierce everything, finally caused a trace of astonishment to appear on Tianmu's usually calm face.

"Shun [Instant]!" Tianmu roared madly!

I hadn't even reacted yet!

Swish!

Tianmu’s powerful body vanished into thin air! What the golden rainbow pierced was merely an illusory afterimage!

Ah! What is this! What kind of speed is this! Single Cold Star was dodged?

I could hardly believe it—this Dou Qi attack, comparable to a laser beam, had been evaded! I didn't even see how he moved!