The ominous, colorful plumes of smoke that had been surging northward like lightning bolts and swift thunder were forced into retreat, segment by segment, until finally, they completely reversed course, collapsing into a rout and rolling back toward the southwest!
Moments later, as the northeast wind grew stronger and stronger, the stifling heat that had been almost unbearable began to slowly give way to a refreshing coolness…
As the event progressed, everyone watched in astonishment as countless fragments of shattered rock and massive chunks of timber flew overhead as if riding the very clouds! Had this bizarre northeast gale truly reached such terrifying intensity?!
From all the surrounding volcanoes, the thick pillars of smoke that had previously climbed straight toward the heavens, only to be swept northward by the southwest wind after reaching dozens of feet high, now buckled after barely rising four or five feet before being violently redirected! The rolling, magnificent, and exquisitely colored toxic fumes surged relentlessly toward the south of Tianzhu Mountain, blanketing the area like a suffocating black thunderhead!
Every single alien in sight was struck dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them!
They all knew the substance was poisonous; they had already felt the discomfort in their lungs just breathing in its presence earlier. Now, this seemingly endless tide of toxic miasma was pouring unceasingly into the territory of the alien races!
How much devastation would this unleash?
Every mind present knew the answer all too well!
“Hahahaha…” Xiong Kaishan finally let out a long, deep breath, his booming laughter shaking the air, filled with irrepressible joy. “You two-headed bastards, did you see that? My brother-in-law always says one thing: Man acts, Heaven watches! Now, even Heaven itself is displeased with you! What a heaven-defying gale! Damn it all, poison you, you sons of bitches!”
A sudden, piercing long cry echoed from the distance. In the mid-air, a figure flashed into existence: a two-headed alien, his entire body shimmering with silver light, appearing suspended in the void, his frame exceptionally broad and towering.
Immediately, the figure roared in anger, “A mere black bear dares to boast so loudly! Watch as this Seat takes your bear’s head!” Before the words fully faded, two intensely dazzling bolts of lightning seemed to tear open the vast sky, slicing down toward Xiong Kaishan with a whoosh!
Kuang Dao Di Ren! (Furious Blade Earth Ninja)!
The reason alien Di Ren were called ‘Furious’ was precisely because of their blades!
Di Ren devoted their entire lives to cultivating only the Way of the Blade!
And anyone deserving the title Kuang Dao Di Ren was undoubtedly a true master of the blade.
What’s more, the individual before them was an alien master whose conjoined male and female halves had both reached the Kuang Dao Di Ren level—it was tantamount to two masters of equal rank launching their most lethal, razor-sharp attack upon Xiong Kaishan simultaneously!
Such an expert was merely one step away from achieving the lowest tier of the Supreme Heavenly Ninja!
A being of this caliber already stood as a formidable leader among the alien races!
Upon seeing this man suddenly manifest, De Ku Bu Shang and Shang Chuan Po Ku instantly adopted expressions of deference.
This imposing alien who struck first was, in fact, the foremost expert in their entire region: beyond the Kuang Dao Di Ren, he was known as Qiang Shang Nü Ju (Spear Upon Angry Chrysanthemum)!
Ah, most alien beings were dominated by the male aspect, with the female aspect serving as support; however, a small minority possessed a female half that exhibited greater strength than the male. Therefore, in such cases, the female portion assumed the dominant role within the body!
And Qiang Shang Nü Ju was precisely such an entity.
His conjoined sister—his wife—had a pronounced fondness for the juhua (chrysanthemum/anus), especially the violently blooming golden kind. Hence, this peculiar name.
“Damn it all! Your aura is fearsome, but do you really think this old bear is scared of you? Having two heads doesn’t mean you have a bigger gut! What the hell are you shouting about? Did someone die back at your place?” Xiong Kaishan’s magnificent and unparalleled physique leaped into the air. In the void, he unsheathed the Bear King Sword, cursing the entire time, showing no hint of retreat as he fiercely met the attack.
The Bear King Sword instantly transformed into a stream of flowing light, glorious and overwhelming, surging upward—it was the mystical swordsmanship personally taught by Jun Moxie: Yi Jian Po Tian Jiao (One Sword Shatters the Heaven’s Pride)!
This technique held an absolutely surprising and devastating effect against enemies attacking from the air!
Behind the Eagle Clan warriors, the Yellow Saint Venerable, one of the Heavenly Punishment Old Beast Kings, moved to intervene but was caught by the arm by the Bear Saint Venerable beside him, who gently shook his head. “Although we currently hold the upper hand, and this Kuang Dao Di Ren is formidable enough, this is not the moment for us to engage. The ones we truly need to face are the enemy’s Supreme Heavenly Ninjas! If we alert them prematurely, I fear… if this battle turns sour, none of these six thousand descendants will make it back alive.”
“But Little Bear… Little Bear simply cannot handle this alien!” the Yellow Saint Venerable worried anxiously. “Are we just going to stand by and watch him die? If Little Bear falls, the blow to the Bear Clan forces will be utterly devastating! These three thousand warriors will immediately descend into madness! By then, even if all of us step in, we might not be able to contain them!”
“Do you think I don't understand the consequences? Am I not of the Bear Clan? But… even if all three thousand of those warriors are sacrificed here, we cannot move rashly!”
The Bear Saint Venerable snorted angrily. “Brother, this is war! And war demands sacrifice! There is no room for sentimentality. If we fail to inflict heavy losses on several Supreme Heavenly Ninjas in the initial exchange, the subsequent battles will become infinitely harder! This is only the beginning. The main force of the aliens is still thousands of miles away! Acting rashly now will only expose our trump cards.”
“For Little Bear in this moment, all we can do is trust him! Living is fortune, death is fate! Life and death are predetermined, fortune rests with Heaven!” The Bear Saint Venerable stated coldly. “Regardless of the reason, we must not disrupt the overall strategy!”
“But…” The Yellow Saint Venerable finally relented, though tears were already welling in his eyes. “Old Bear… Little Bear is your… your own grandson! The sole direct blood descendant of your Bear King Lineage!”
The Bear Saint Venerable grunted, turning his aged face away, his facial muscles twitching slightly. “Yes, Xiong Kaishan is my grandson, but which of the Heavenly Punishment warriors present… are not the descendants of you and me? In a war of sheer survival such as this, what use is lineage? Is the blood of our Bear King Lineage truly so noble?!” The Yellow Saint Venerable sighed mournfully, his face sinking like dark water, and finally ceased speaking.
The Deer Saint Venerable sighed softly and remarked placidly, “Old Bear’s decision is correct; in a war like this, our duty is to perish alongside a Supreme Heavenly Ninja. If each of us can drag two enemies down, so much the better. If not, we must fight to the death to take even one Supreme Heavenly Ninja with us! Since we came here, which of us still clings to the hope of returning alive? At this juncture, no lineage matters! The only thing that matters is the glory of the Heavenly Punishment—one thousand years of honor! One thousand years of unyielding spirit!”
“Only death awaits! If Xiong Kaishan falls here, I can only call it a heroic sacrifice! Beyond that… Elder… I have nothing more to say!”
The Bear Saint Venerable stood with a cold expression, his white hair whipping in the fierce north wind, resembling a silent, stoic sculpture! Yet, the hands hanging loosely at his waist had already clenched into tight fists unconsciously.
His eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Xiong Kaishan’s desperate battle in the sky!
Though his words dismissed concern, his actions showed no aberration; yet, deep down… he could not afford not to care.
Little Bear! My grandson, do not die! Survive! You absolutely must survive!
Xiong Kaishan’s sword became a long rainbow, advancing without any thought of turning back!
Qiang Shang Nü Ju erupted in roaring laughter, the sound shifting oddly between male coarseness and sharp, piercing tones. Two lightning-like blade glows circled, weaving a shimmering curtain of light, plunging down from the air!
Both sides shared an explicit goal: end the fight quickly; decide victory or defeat in one move!
“Kill!” As the blades and swords were about to clash, Xiong Kaishan roared with maximum effort, his eyes tearing wide with rage!
He poured every ounce of his Saint Sovereign level Xuan Qi (Profound Energy) without reservation into the long sword!
Zun!
Upon the first contact between their weapons, the mid-air seemed to suddenly brighten intensely. Those below felt a painful stinging in their eyes, much like walking down a street only to have someone start welding directly in front of you…
Then came the sound: clang-clang-clang-clang… an unbroken chain of metallic impacts, dense and rapid, like wind rustling lotus leaves, or rain battering banana leaves, the noise merging into a single drawn-out line of sound.
Qiang Shang Nü Ju grinned hideously. The male blade struck Xiong Kaishan’s sword first, and immediately, the female blade followed, whirling like a tempest, hacking fiercely down upon the Bear King Sword.
In an instant, the two long blades had struck Xiong Kaishan’s single sword at least a hundred times!
Through the instinct of a martial artist, Qiang Shang Nü Ju clearly sensed the sheer danger embedded within Xiong Kaishan’s move, and the fierce, suicidal momentum driving it! Even if he could cleave off Xiong Kaishan’s head in one strike, if he couldn't halt the trajectory of this incoming sword, it would still unleash the brilliance it was destined to manifest!
It would not be changed!
And this sword strike would surely injure him, perhaps even end his life!
The only reason Qiang Shang Nü Ju dared to engage Xiong Kaishan head-on without using any stealth techniques was that their cultivation levels were currently equal. Xiong Kaishan was one man, whereas Qiang Shang Nü Ju was effectively two people fighting as one!
Could two individuals whose intentions were perfectly synchronized truly not overcome one single person?
Furthermore, a crucial factor was that the Bear Clan warriors were currently winning, their enemy's morale severely dampened! Only by decisively defeating Xiong Kaishan, the leader, and killing him, could the disastrous situation be reversed!
However, Qiang Shang Nü Ju clearly never anticipated that a sword technique of such immense power existed, one that made him—despite having double the strength of Xiong Kaishan—clearly feel the threat of death before the move even reached him!
Therefore, Qiang Shang Nü Ju was now attacking this sword in a frenzy! Only by thoroughly disrupting this sword move could he truly shatter that feeling of impending death; only by neutralizing this technique could he ensure Xiong Kaishan’s fate, making sure he couldn't escape his grasp!
Xiong Kaishan’s sword posture remained stubbornly fixed, the long sword trembling slightly, and blood was already flowing freely from his mouth. Against the relentless, storm-like assault of his opponent—a combined attack equivalent to two peak Level Three Saint Sovereigns—the frequency of continuous, full-power strikes had inflicted considerable internal injury upon Xiong Kaishan!
But he maintained the flow of the sword technique! He persisted, pushing with every fiber of his being; gritting his teeth, eyes wide with fury, roaring like thunder—it was still that same sword move: Yi Jian Po Tian Jiao!
No matter how many times life and death hung in the balance, it was always, Yi Jian Po Tian Jiao!
Although Xiong Kaishan’s sword light was beginning to look ragged, he finally managed to withstand Qiang Shang Nü Ju’s fierce offensive, allowing the true power of this sword strike to bloom brilliantly in the sky like a peacock displaying its tail feathers!