Chapter 68: The Wrath of the Greats

Silence descended over the arena after the battle ended.

Gaya was still standing in the middle of the arena, while Lina lay motionless on the ground.

The healers quickly rushed toward her and surrounded her to examine her injuries.

After a few moments, one of them suddenly changed expression.

He spoke seriously:

"Her injuries are severe."

Tension spread among the Ashbourne family.

The healer continued:

"But they are not fatal. If she receives treatment immediately, she will survive, though she will need a long period of recovery."

Lina was given a healing potion before the healers carried her away from the arena.

Gaya watched in silence.

She said nothing.

But she did not appear remorseful either.

At the highest platform of the judges, Jonathan Ashbourne stared at her.

He remained silent for several moments.

Then he stood.

And in the next instant...

BOOOOM!

His aura exploded outward.

The entire arena shook.

A tremendous wave of pressure erupted from his body, sweeping across the stands and the arena.

The audience turned pale.

"That aura..."

"A Divine Ascendant!"

"It's Jonathan Ashbourne!"

"He's furious!"

Several Immortal cultivators began retreating.

The wrath of a Divine Ascendant was not something that could be taken lightly.

One spectator said:

"If he loses control here, this entire arena will become a catastrophe."

Another said:

"Two beings from the Divine Ascension Realm can't possibly fight here!"

Jonathan's pressure continued to rise.

Then his voice thundered throughout the arena:

"She's your sister!"

The barriers trembled beneath his voice.

He glared furiously at Gaya.

"How could you hurt her like this?!"

His aura intensified.

Then he shouted:

"Do you even have a heart?!"

Another wave of pressure swept through the arena.

Several participants began retreating.

At that moment, Lunaria moved.

She stepped in front of her family, using her own strength to shield them from Jonathan's overwhelming aura.

She said calmly:

"Stay behind me."

Selena trembled.

Alex's face had gone pale.

He muttered:

"This... is just an aura?"

No one answered him.

Lunaria remained firmly in front of her family, fully aware of how dangerous the situation had become.

Jonathan Ashbourne's anger alone was enough to make most people feel as though they were suffocating.

Then...

Something else happened.

At first, everyone felt a different kind of pressure.

Then—

BOOM!

An even greater aura erupted from the opposite side.

Waves of black and purple energy surged around Azrael.

The sky changed.

Dark clouds began gathering above the arena, while the colossal shadow of a dragon emerged behind Azrael.

His purple eyes glowed with terrifying intensity.

His draconic aura spread in every direction.

There was no trace of calm left on his face.

Only anger remained in his eyes.

Azrael slowly rose from his throne.

BOOM.

The platform beneath his feet cracked.

He extended his hand.

His enormous black axe appeared in his grasp.

An oppressive silence descended upon the arena.

Azrael turned toward Jonathan Ashbourne.

His voice thundered across the arena, deep and distorted, like the voice of a demon emerging from the depths of hell:

"Didn't I tell you that you have no right to order my wife around?"

His aura rose even higher.

"Did you think I was joking with you?"

His eyes glowed more intensely.

"Or do you think this Great One won't kill you..."

His words paused for a moment.

Then he continued in a voice dripping with killing intent:

"Simply because you are my wife's former father?"

Absolute silence followed.

Azrael raised his axe toward the sky.

Suddenly—

BOOOOOOOOM!

The clouds above him exploded.

The sky darkened beneath enormous black clouds as massive vortexes began forming overhead.

Then the blade of the axe began to glow.

An enormous purple light emerged around it.

It was not an ordinary light.

It carried an aura of destruction and despair so profound that even powerful cultivators felt a chill run through their bodies.

The defensive formations surrounding the arena began trembling.

One of the judges shouted:

"Activate the defensive formations!"

Another shouted:

"Keep the spectators away from the arena!"

But fear had already spread throughout the crowd.

One participant asked:

"Are they really going to fight?!"

Another answered:

"They're both Divine Ascendants!"

"If they clash here, it won't be only the arena that gets destroyed!"

A third participant said:

"Even we could die from the aftermath!"

Yet some spectators continued staring at the scene with a mixture of fear and excitement.

"A battle between two Divine Ascendants..."

"I've never witnessed anything like this before."

"If they really fight, this will be the greatest battle of the entire tournament!"

Meanwhile, the Ashbourne family was experiencing its own turmoil amid the chaos.

Lunaria was still standing in front of her family, protecting them from the pressure of Jonathan's aura.

Selena trembled slightly.

Alex, however, had become completely pale.

He said:

"I... I only came here to watch the tournament."

He looked around nervously.

"I didn't come here to witness a battle between Divine Ascendants!"

Despite her fear, Selena could not stop herself from looking toward Azrael with admiration and curiosity.

Ever since meeting him, she had felt a strange connection to him.

And now, amid all this terror...

She secretly wished for Azrael to win.

As for Lilian...

She silently stared at him.

She knew that Azrael was an extraordinarily powerful existence, yet she could not prevent fear from creeping into her heart.

She was not prepared to see him injured.

Nor was she even willing to imagine the possibility of his death.

On the opposite side, Jonathan Ashbourne drew his sword.

CLANG!

A sharp sword aura erupted around the blade, while dense sword energy filled the air.

Jonathan planted his feet firmly.

It was obvious that Azrael was his target.

He said coldly:

"If you want a fight..."

The sword aura around him intensified.

"Then I will fight you."

Azrael did not answer.

He continued raising his axe.

The purple light grew stronger.

It rose toward the heavens until it resembled a pillar of destruction piercing through the clouds.

The energy continued gathering around the blade.

Finally...

Azrael muttered:

"Supreme Axe Arts..."

The light intensified.

"Fifth Form..."

The sky trembled.

Then he said:

"Axe of Greats' Slaughter."

The expressions of several elders changed.

One of them said:

"That technique..."

Another said:

"It can even target the Greats!"

Azrael began to move.

His axe rose.

The strike was about to descend upon Jonathan Ashbourne.

But at the final moment—

Two figures appeared.

One appeared between Azrael and Jonathan.

The other appeared in front of Jonathan.

The two intervened at the very last moment, preventing the two Greats from clashing.

The axe stopped.

The sword stopped.

The entire arena froze.

No one spoke anymore.

Even Azrael and Jonathan Ashbourne, who had been moments away from beginning a battle capable of destroying the entire arena, paused.

Within moments, the tournament had transformed from a competition between geniuses...

Into a confrontation that could shake the entire world.

Had those two individuals not intervened at that very moment, the war between the Greats would have begun in the middle of the tournament arena.