"What?!"
"Damn, is that even possible?"
Seeing An Ran, the Heavenly Emperor, getting punched by Luo Xiu and sent flying backward spitting blood, the onlookers were all greatly startled and found it unbelievable.
Lao Ba trembled with excitement. "Holy moly... What kind of form is the Crown Prince in? To think he made a Heavenly Emperor spit blood with a single punch."
Zhang Yi asked, "This white form of Brother Luo Xiu, could it be even stronger than his Grim Reaper Form?"
"It's too incredible!"
The crowd was filled with astonishment. However, Master Ping wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "It's over, it's all over. Luo Xiu has really gotten himself into big trouble this time."
Hearing this, everyone turned to Master Ping with puzzled expressions.
"Master Ping, what do you mean by that?"
"Yeah, why do you say the Crown Prince is finished?"
Master Ping let out a soft sigh. "Because he has succeeded in angering a Heavenly Emperor." After a pause, he surveyed the crowd with a heavy tone, "You don't understand how terrifying a Heavenly Emperor can be."
"Luo Xiu's current form should be the result of perfectly merging Divine Power with himself. While it comes at a price, he has also attained a Divine Body. In addition, he has possessed a Divine Soul for quite some time. Thus, at this moment, aside from lacking divinity, he is essentially a god."
Lin Shanshan asked in confusion, "If Dad is already a god, why should he be afraid of a Heavenly Emperor?"
Master Ping chuckled. "While so-called gods are indeed powerful, it doesn't mean they are invincible in battle. Otherwise, the Ancient Gods of old would not have been hunted down by those from the Celestial Realm."
He continued, "The Divine Power that Luo Xiu obtained comes from an Ancient God who was adept at creation, not combat."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
Master Ping went on, "A Heavenly Emperor, on the other hand, is someone who has cultivated step-by-step from mortality, eventually grasping the supreme mysteries of the Great Dao Laws to reach a peak state. They also wield the Power of Laws, so in a real fight, a god is not necessarily a Heavenly Emperor's opponent. Unless... it is a god born for battle and slaughter, like an Asura."
Lao Ba inquired, "So, you're saying the Crown Prince has really gotten himself into big trouble this time?"
"I know that An Ran. She seems gentle and dignified on the surface, but in reality, she's very competitive and extremely stubborn. She's practically a madwoman."
Beside him, Black Fatty nodded vigorously in agreement. Back in Everlasting City, he and Lao Ba had all their fur plucked clean by An Ran, and it had only just now grown back. As a result, both of them were thoroughly traumatized by her.
Master Ping also nodded and said seriously, "To be honest, I haven't been spared from her beatings either." He added, "Of course, if Luo Xiu can maintain this divine form for a long time, the outcome of a true fight between them is still uncertain. But I'm afraid he won't be able to keep this form for long. And merging Divine Power with himself will force him to pay a certain price."
As the group was discussing, a thunderous boom suddenly echoed from the distant sea!
Everyone's expression sharpened. They saw a thick column of water shoot hundreds of meters into the sky!
Above the ocean, Luo Xiu and An Ran faced off, his War Sword against her Magic Wand, locked in a stalemate. Every collision of their weapons created terrifying spatial rifts. A myriad of afterimages flickered, dazzling the onlookers. Occasionally, a white and a green streak of light would intertwine and dance, their speed so great that the spectators could no longer follow them with their naked eyes.
***
An Ran's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she swiftly waved her Magic Wand, struggling to parry Luo Xiu's War Sword. She was gradually being pushed onto the back foot.
This guy... his aura is so calm that even right in front of me, I can't sense his existence. Is this the aura of a god? And his Sword Intent, the epitome of tranquility, yet filled with boundless madness... Each strike is laden with domineering power. At this rate, I fear I will truly lose to him.
With this in mind, An Ran found an opportune moment to retreat, creating distance between them. She had no intention of continuing the close-quarters combat.
With a light wave of her wand, a green Light Seal instantly manifested in the void before her, filled with a mysterious Daoist charm. At the same time, the majestic Great Dao Destiny Wheel, suffused with a holy aura, appeared in the void behind her.
Luo Xiu stood proudly in the air, watching her calmly. "You're finally getting serious," he said lightly.
An Ran scoffed softly. She pointed her Magic Wand gently in the void, and the green Light Seal abruptly shattered, transforming into a vine like a giant python that hung above her head, coiled like an arrow ready to be fired.
A terrifying aura gradually permeated the space between heaven and earth. The churning waves below quickly calmed, seemingly suppressed by this formidable power.
However, she did not attack immediately. She gave Luo Xiu enough time to prepare his own Taoist Arts. After all, this was just a sparring session, not a real battle. Furthermore, from the very beginning, she had been afraid of accidentally using too much force and hurting him.
Luo Xiu naturally understood her intention. With a light grasp of his left hand, he plucked a sesame-sized grain of sand from a distant island through the air.
Seeing this, An Ran's curiosity was piqued. "What is this now?"
Luo Xiu smiled. "Have you ever seen a single grain of sand fill the ocean?"
An Ran's face remained expressionless. "I have only seen a single leaf cover the sky dome."
Without another word, Luo Xiu flicked the grain of sand with two fingers. As a mysterious aura spread, the grain of sand's volume began to increase dramatically. In the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a massive mountain.
"This is a Taoist Art I comprehended from divine revelations while creating 'My Own Path'," Luo Xiu explained. "It is called Ten Thousand Manifestations."
On the distant island, Master Ping exclaimed in surprise, "This lad has even mastered the Ancient God's Divine Technique! Impressive!"
Everyone turned their gazes toward him.
Master Ping said, "Like the 'Divine Blood Breaks Ten Thousand Laws' I taught him before, this 'Ten Thousand Manifestations' is also one of the Ancient God's Divine Techniques. It can enlarge any object. It was originally a technique the Ancient Gods used to create mountains and seas, yet this boy is using it for a fight."
Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished, marveling at the divine miracle.
Zhang Yi suddenly smiled slyly. "It can really enlarge anything? In that case, I have a bold idea."
"..."
At that moment, high above the ocean, An Ran looked at the massive mountain and said, "That seems quite interesting. Let me test your 'Ten Thousand Manifestations'."
As soon as she finished speaking, she swung her Magic Wand, and the python-like vine shot toward Luo Xiu as a beam of light.
"Warehouse Arrow!"
Not daring to be careless, Luo Xiu waved his hand fiercely, sending the mountain formed from the enlarged grain of sand to collide with it head-on.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed as the very heavens and earth changed color.
Amidst the billowing dust, An Ran's voice rang out in praise, "Remarkable. You actually withstood my Divine Skills. However, if this is all you have, you won't have another chance."
Luo Xiu flew forward, sword in hand, ready to continue the battle. But in the next instant, the scenery before him shifted dramatically. He had entered a forest.
He looked around at the dense trees and said indifferently, "It seems this is some kind of Domain of yours. Watch me break it."
To his surprise, his body suddenly trembled, and his face turned pale. The sacred, silvery-white glow around him dissipated, and his hair and pupils instantly reverted to black.
This is bad...
An overwhelming fatigue flooded him like a deluge, making it hard to keep his eyes open. All he wanted to do was collapse and sleep. In that moment, all his Essence Qi Spirit seemed to have been drained away.
On the distant island, Master Ping gazed at a distant, lush Immortal Herb and sighed softly. "Luo Xiu is in trouble now."
Lin Shanshan asked, "Why?"
Master Ping explained, "He has entered An Ran's Domain. He likely can't maintain that form of Divine Power anymore. He's probably going to get beaten up quite badly now. The terror of a Heavenly Emperor lies in her Domain."