Chapter 718 - 717: Devouring the Firmament

Chapter 718: Chapter 717: Devouring the Firmament

"Brat, you’re a real case of a newborn calf fearing no tiger. I have to admire you for having the guts to say something like that. But it’s a pity this duel is over—and this set of equipment is mine! I hope in your next life, you learn to be a bit more humble, not so arrogant!"

The Great Elder showed no mercy, swinging his axe down at Yi Tianyun. A ray of starlight descended from the sky in an instant, and his entire being seemed to transform into a falling star as he crashed down. His speed was simply too great; so fast that most of the Cultivators present couldn’t see him at all, only a long, trailing streak of light.

Even a tiger uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.

The Great Elder didn’t hold back in the slightest. Instead, he erupted with his full strength. Even though Yi Tianyun’s cultivation was much weaker than his, he still chose to unleash his full power in a devastating strike.

Such was his nature; he never showed mercy, no matter the opponent. He felt that Yi Tianyun’s power wasn’t bad, but to prevent any unexpected problems, he would use his full strength!

Under this terrifying force, the very earth trembled, and even the sturdy Divine Hall shook from the impact. Fortunately, the reinforcing Divine Runes were incredibly powerful; otherwise, the hall would have been blasted to dust. The Star Power descending from the heavens was simply too fearsome—an ordinary arena would have been obliterated by such might long ago.

"Star God Slash!"

The Great Elder brandished the giant axe in his hand and swung it at Yi Tianyun. He showed none of the restraint an elder might show a junior, attacking without a shred of mercy and putting his full power into the strike.

"Star Power, is it? Then let me shatter this firmament and see how you’ll absorb any Star Power then!"

Yi Tianyun’s gaze turned cold. With a flick of his wrist, the Evil Spirit Divine Sword let out a low HUMMM. A terrifying Evil Spirit immediately emerged from the blade, coiling around his body.

He then slashed violently toward the Great Elder. In that instant, the power of the Desolate Ancient Desolate Set amplified the attack as a series of effects triggered simultaneously.

"Ding! Critical Hit successfully triggered, damage tripled!"

BOOM!

The lunging Evil Spirit suddenly swelled to three times its size, opening its monstrous maw to devour everything before it. A terrifying, evil aura instantly enveloped the entire Divine Hall. Anyone standing too close was immediately affected, feeling a tearing sensation in their very souls.

They scrambled backward, not daring to get an inch closer. Any nearer, and their souls would have been torn to shreds. And this was merely the pressure radiating from the Evil Spirit—a direct hit would mean certain death!

Everyone stared, utterly stunned, at the Evil Spirit that was large enough to engulf the entire Divine Hall. It was the most terrifying thing they had ever witnessed. This attack... it surpassed the Great Elder’s power. It surpassed everything!

"Break!"

The Great Elder roared, bringing his axe down with all his might. The dazzling Star God Axe erupted with astonishing brilliance, but against the endless darkness, its starlight was like a candle in the wind, flickering as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

No matter how dazzling its light, it was completely devoured by the terrifying Evil Spirit’s attack!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The two terrifying powers clashed. The sharp Star God Axe struck, managing to cleave through a small portion of the attack at first, before being instantly swallowed by the endless black mist. The massive Evil Spirit that remained continued its advance, opening its maw and devouring the descending starlight in a single gulp.

In an instant, the world plunged into darkness, as if the apocalypse had arrived. It was pitch-black; you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face.

’Gods, did it just... devour the sky?’

This was the thought that flashed through everyone’s minds. The dazzling Star Power they took so much pride in had been devoured, just like that! In its place, an endless darkness shrouded their world.

The darkness did not last long, however. The Evil Spirit was quickly withdrawn, absorbed completely back into the Evil Spirit Divine Sword. Light returned to the Divine Hall. Everything seemed eerily normal; the surroundings were undamaged, and none of the bystanders had been harmed.

The only exception was the Great Elder, who lay on the ground, his face blackened. He clutched his head and screamed, just like the Third Elder beside him. Both were writhing in agony. Without a doubt, their souls were being devoured bit by bit. The effect was the same, but the attack that caused it had been far more terrifying, leagues stronger than the one used against the Third Elder.

The two attacks weren’t even on the same level, a fact that left everyone dumbfounded. ’The seemingly invincible Great Elder... defeated in a single move, just like that?’

Both fights had ended in a single move, but Yi Tianyun’s attack was far more overwhelming, completely crushing the Great Elder. The crowd, however, realized something else: Yi Tianyun had shown mercy! If that Evil Spirit had been any more vicious, it would have undoubtedly torn the Great Elder to shreds. But he hadn’t allowed it.

"Star Power is impressive, but unfortunately for you, I devoured it," Yi Tianyun said indifferently. "Now, you two can have your souls devoured bit by bit. I hope you learn to be better people in your next life."

He retracted the Evil Spirit Divine Sword. The crowd could only stare at him, dumbfounded. They now realized it wasn’t arrogance, it wasn’t pride, it wasn’t a desperate bluff, and it wasn’t a head rush from victory. He genuinely possessed the strength to back it all up.

’The Great Elder was completely crushed. Doesn’t that mean his power is greater than the Great Elder’s? And an existence stronger than the Great Elder... would have to be a Saint King.’

’Yi Xingchen’s son... is a Saint King? A Saint King this young?’

The crowd was speechless. Jiao Linghe covered her mouth in shock, and Yi Yuanlong was simply dumbfounded. All their worrying had been for nothing. Yi Tianyun had been capable of winning from the start; they had simply been too anxious, and had too little faith in his strength.

"AAAAHHH..."

The two men screamed incessantly, completely unable to endure the feeling of their souls being gnawed away bit by bit. The process was neither fast nor slow—a pace deliberately set by Yi Tianyun. He had no intention of letting them die quickly.

"’Save me, Clan Leader, save us...’" the Third Elder pleaded as he struggled to prop himself up. His face was a terrifying shade of pale, and the cold sweat pouring off him had already soaked the ground beneath, making it look as if he were lying in a puddle."

He crawled with great difficulty toward Su Kaifeng, his face ashen. He didn’t want to die; he wanted to live. But this torment was a fate worse than death, making him feel the urge to end his own life.

Yet he couldn’t do it. He didn’t have the courage to take his own life.

"Hmph!" Su Kaifeng tapped his staff on the ground. A barrier of energy immediately enveloped the two elders, pushing them back like an invisible wall. "This was a duel to the death. Since you chose this, you must accept the consequences."

He chose not to show favoritism to his elders, instead siding with Yi Tianyun and choosing impartiality. The rules of the death duel had been established. If he were to save them, he would be breaking those rules.

Yi Yuanlong had nearly broken the rules himself earlier. Breaking the rules would surely have consequences.

Yi Tianyun looked at Su Kaifeng and nodded, satisfied. If Su Kaifeng had chosen to protect them, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill the two elders by force. Su Kaifeng could choose not to interfere, but as for those two... they had to die!

’If it weren’t for them, Yi Xingchen would never have ended up like this, and I wouldn’t have fallen into crisis myself. It’s not that I’m heartless, but for scum like them, mercy is unnecessary.’