Chapter 123: Space Vortex

Leng Tian’s eyes erupted with intense brilliance. Seeing the astonishing transformation of the long sword in Zi Lei’s hand, he instantly redoubled the force behind his punch. Within his dantian, the milky-white ocean of true energy surged, churning with colossal waves. Streams of energy thundered through his broad meridians, pouring madly into his fist.

"Boom!"

A heaven-shaking explosion reverberated in all directions. His white-gold fist expanded to more than twice its original size, and an aura of profound, primeval weight erupted from it, crashing into the massive purple shield before Zi Lei. The sheer force of the blow compressed the air, blasting out a cloud of white vapor; space itself rippled like water—a testament to the terrifying might of this strike.

Seeing Leng Tian’s fist expand, Zi Lei felt a tremor of trepidation at the heavy, ancient aura surging toward him. He pushed his own true essence to the limit, pouring it frantically into his purple shield.

Strands of purple, ethereal mist billowed from the shield, gradually coalescing behind Zi Lei until a phantom image appeared. The figure was blurry, yet its silhouette was unmistakably human. As the purple mist continued to pour into it, the figure grew rapidly, stopping only when it reached a height of thirty zhang.

With the emergence of this phantom, Zi Lei’s aura surged manifold. He radiated a towering, domineering pressure—the aura of a king. As it collided with Leng Tian’s vast, heavy pressure, the very sky seemed to dim. The two clashing forces tore into the high heavens, dissolving the drifting white clouds into pure water vapor.

The momentum roared upward, accompanied by thunderous booms in the azure sky. The oppressive sound weighed upon the hearts of all who heard it like a massive boulder.

The residents of the small town, mostly ordinary practitioners at the Qi Gathering stage—some even at the Body Tempering level—turned deathly pale under the crushing pressure of the two clashing forces. The weaker among them fainted on the spot.

In the tavern, the waiter, Er Mao, was busy gnawing on a lobster, muttering to himself, "Mom said, men rely on food and women rely on sleep. I’ll eat until I’m strong, master incredible skills, and then I’ll take down the manager and..." Before he could finish, the immense pressure descended, pinning his scrawny frame to the ground. "I don’t want to die... I haven’t even... gotten a wife yet..."

The white-gold fist, dazzling and brilliant, struck the purple shield accompanied by Leng Tian’s long roar. "Boom!" After a brief silence, a dull, subterranean rumble echoed as space began to ripple at the point of impact.

A small spatial vortex emerged at the junction, steadily expanding. An incomparable shockwave blasted the two men apart.

Leng Tian’s body was wreathed in flickering white-gold energy, rapidly neutralizing the massive force invading his body; he swayed like a leaf in a gale. Before Zi Lei, the shield’s light flickered erratically, and the purple mist wrapped around his body, the towering phantom behind him swaying in unison with his movements.

Both men were flung hundreds of meters away before they could forcibly stabilize themselves. Such was the force that they slid another hundred meters through the air before coming to a complete halt.

They both stared at the point of impact. The spatial vortex, initially the size of a human head, had expanded to two meters. It emitted a humming, dull vibration that struck every observer’s heart like a giant hammer.

Sounds of coughing blood erupted throughout the town. Several Heaven-realm martial artists turned pale and collapsed, breathless and trembling, terrified by the thought that a peerless powerhouse was locked in mortal combat.

The spatial vortex, crackling with terrifying power, finally stopped expanding at a diameter of three meters. Sensing the horror emanating from it, Leng Tian felt a surge of alarm and retreated rapidly.

Zi Lei, surrounded by swirling purple mist and radiant light, also sensed the danger and transformed into a streak of purple light, retreating as well.

"Hum!"

A dull sound, as if the heavens were collapsing, resonated as the stationary spatial vortex suddenly detonated. There was no explosion of energy in the traditional sense; instead, the sky simply darkened, and the fabric of space rippled outward like waves.

A large cyan bird flew by, but as the spatial wave swept past, it didn't even have time to cry out before it was reduced to a mist of blood, carried away by the surge.

Leng Tian and Zi Lei’s expressions changed drastically. They both soared into the high sky, riding their escape lights. The wave swept through a radius of several thousand meters, reducing the peaks of several mountains on the island to fine powder before finally dissipating at the edge of the horizon.

Leng Tian’s expression was grim; he had not expected their clash to cause such destruction. "What was that phantom?" he wondered, curious about the giant shadow behind Zi Lei. During their clash, he had felt a faint, chilling aura emanating from it, though it was too subtle to discern clearly.

"Boss, that should be a projection of a deity," Judas said.

"A deity's projection? What is that?"

"It’s that purple sword in his hand. It is likely a sub-artifact or a damaged divine artifact. The reason I say the phantom is a deity's projection..." Judas paused, then continued, "It’s highly probable that the deity who forged the sword melted the soul and divinity of a fallen god into the blade, adding special seals. This allows the user to manipulate those seals and release the deity's soul power, drastically boosting their own strength!"

"That’s correct. I am a being of that nature myself, though much higher in rank than his sword. Tee-hee..." Xue Han chimed in with a giggle, clearly implying that her own status was far superior to the weapon in Zi Lei’s hand.

"So that’s it. I thought it was a talent granted by my bloodline awakening!" Leng Tian felt a sense of relief. Looking at Zi Lei, who was watching him from hundreds of meters away, his fighting spirit surged. He called out in a resonant voice that echoed through the air, "Brother Lei, our battle remains undecided. Shall we continue?"

"Of course... You are the most formidable opponent I have ever encountered. Naturally, we must fight to the end! How about this: we each unleash our full power and decide the outcome in one final strike?"

"Good, that is exactly what I intended. Shall we use this to decide whether I stay or go?" Leng Tian laughed heartily.

Zi Lei remained silent for a moment, as if making a difficult decision, then said in a deep voice, "Agreed. If you can overcome the sword in my hand, I promise not to stop you from leaving!"

"I trust your word. Then, one strike to decide it all!" Leng Tian channeled his energy, releasing a massive aura that surged toward the sky, accompanied by howling winds and an awe-inspiring presence.

"Exactly what I wanted!" Zi Lei’s shield flickered and reverted to its form as a sword. He pointed the blade at Leng Tian and said firmly, "Let us fight!"

"Fight..." Leng Tian’s fighting spirit was vast and boundless, reaching toward the heavens.

In the town, the fat tavern manager was in a room discussing matters with six men. He exclaimed in shock, "Qin Da, is what you say true? Is it really the Shadow Demon fighting Zi Lei, the disciple of the Saint?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Their strikes are earth-shattering; it is not a battle for those of our cultivation level to witness." Qin Da’s face was pale, and he coughed repeatedly after speaking.

"Are you alright?" the manager asked with concern.

"I’m fine, just some minor internal injuries. I think we should notify the experts of all factions to come here as soon as possible. If this continues, Changchun Island might be completely devastated by these two!"

"You’re right. I leave that to you! It’s been so many years, and this is the first time Changchun Island has suffered such destruction. It seems they have truly forgotten the commandments set by that person," the manager said, his face full of anger.

"It’s not entirely their fault; the Saint hasn't appeared for decades, which is why the humans and demons of the various factions have become so audacious."

"That is irrelevant now. I will go and send word to the various factions. You stay in the room and do not go out, lest you be caught in the crossfire!" After saying this, Qin Da left to relay the messages.

The fat manager and the others sat with worried faces, waiting for the arrival of the experts to capture the Shadow Demon, Leng Tian.

Hundreds of miles west of Changchun Island, the group led by the grey-clad old man, who had been pursuing Li Tianzheng and the others, was rushing toward the island with great anxiety.

In flight, a yellow-faced man asked with concern, "Elder Liu, is there any danger in Zi Lei confronting the Shadow Demon alone? His cultivation is peerless, but facing a being as formless and shapeless as the Shadow Demon is truly worrying!"

"I think not. Zi Lei is the disciple of a Saint; his cultivation is far above ours, and he carries the Saint’s own sword. Even if the Shadow Demon is powerful, he should be more than capable of protecting himself."

The grey-clad old man paused, a trace of confusion on his face. "According to those two, the man suspected of being the Shadow Demon is named Leng Tian, and they have a close relationship! It contradicts the claim that he is the Shadow Demon!"

"Indeed. Judging by their tone, it seems they don't even know that Leng Tian is the Shadow Demon! So, where is the discrepancy? Could he truly be human, and not a transformation of the Shadow Demon? But that doesn't make sense; the Island Master of Lieyan Island, the old Island Master, and his daughter, Hu Cuishan, all testified that they saw with their own eyes that the opponent was undeniably the Shadow Demon!" The yellow-faced man’s words betrayed his doubt.

"Speculation is useless now. We will know the truth when we reach Changchun Island and see for ourselves," the grey-clad old man said, accelerating. He, too, was deeply puzzled.

The yellow-faced man had long suspected something. He could not understand why, if the Shadow Demon had appeared and killed two elders of Lieyan Island, he had not devoured Hu Cuishan’s soul. There must be a hidden motive.

He glanced back at a man in white trailing behind them. "Lieyan Island, what kind of conspiracy are you plotting?"