They watched as—

With the two of them at its center, spiritual energy ran rampant throughout this entire stretch of sky, everything within a thousand square meters. The air currents left marks and devastation all across the ground and stirred up dust clouds dense enough to blot out the sun. 

Su Yi stood in the air, his aura flourishing, without so much as a hair out of place.

Li Changning stood across from him, sword in hand, his clothes fluttering around him.

Shockingly, that attack wasn’t enough to determine victory and defeat!

Everyone was stunned; they almost dared not believe their eyes. 

That slash had manifested a flood dragon! Yet a Grandmaster like Su Yi had somehow countered it!?

Even You Xinglin’s eyes were wide, and his jaw hung slack. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how Su Yi had accomplished such a feat.

“Alas, your sword intent is lacking; you’ve only grasped a handful of superficial knowledge. If I’m not mistaken, you didn’t grasp it by comprehending heaven and earth. You must have gleaned enlightenment from some treasure. You’ve yet to truly cross the threshold, so your power is ultimately limited,” said Su Yi leisurely. 

In the Origin Dao, sword intent was divided based on strength. There were three grades, each divided into three classes, nine ranks in total.

The three grades were earth, heaven, and profound. Earth was the lowest, while profound was the loftiest.

Each grade was further subdivided into classes: upper, middle, and lower.

Lower earth grade was the weakest, while upper profound grade was the strongest.

It was only after entering the Spirit Dao that one’s sword intent could advance to new and higher levels.

The sword intent Li Changning had displayed was fragmented and superficial. He’d yet to even cross the threshold. it was too weak to even grade; it didn’t even count as lower earth grade.

“Superficial? Well, it’s enough to kill you!” Although Li Changning’s expression remained tranquil, his aura turned increasingly terrifying.

Their earlier clash had already told him that if he didn’t use his trump cards, he had no hope of taking down Su Yi, the man he suspected was possessed.

“Oh? Go ahead and try it, then.” Su Yi’s figure shifted, like a wandering dragon as he swung his fist once more. “Break!”

Li Changning’s face was like a deep pool or an ancient well; it didn’t so much as ripple. He simply swung Return to Origin and continued transforming his sword intent into flood dragons, which swept through the air.

Rumble! Boom!

They collided like sudden cracks of thunder, the sound deafening. Air currents scattered, picking up sand and rocks. 

Su Yi waved his fist, peerlessly valiant, like an immortal crane dancing through the nine heavens. 

The force of each punch was as radiant as if it had been cast out of gold. The light was dazzlingly bright, and the profound charm of the Dao lingered around it.

Even the Peerless Martial Emperor, the man who created the Pine and Crane Body Refining Technique, would have exclaimed over Su Yi’s attack were he here to see it. 

But Li Changning was no pushover either. 

He was an Earthly Immortal of the Great Qin’s Profound Moon Sect; he wasn’t even remotely comparable to Sutra Crane, who’d only just broken through. His Dao of the Sword was exquisite and stunning.

With a casual shift of the hands and feet, he could influence the power of his surroundings and manifest the divine charm of soaring flood dragons. His power was incomparably vast.

Their clash was like that of two immortals, two beings who transcended the mundane. The resulting impact shook the heavens and threw them into disarray.

Without exception, those watching from afar were wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

“Possessed! This guy is definitely possessed! Grandmasters of this world cannot possibly wield enough power to contend with Earthly Immortals!” You Xinglin’s expression shifted erratically, and he gnashed his teeth.

He was stunned too; he couldn’t accept that Su Yi was capable of fighting his martial uncle.

“Again!” Su Yi shouted, free and unrestrained. Facing an opponent like this was enough to ignite his valiant pride and will to fight. 

Admittedly, Li Changning’s cultivation was mighty, and his Dao of the Sword was shocking.

But Su Yi’s foundations had long since transcended the ordinary limits. Never mind this mundane realm; even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, he was unprecedented, enough to shame even those peerless, chosen sons of heaven. He was a heaven-defying monster.

What followed was—

No matter how Li Changning shifted his stance, Su Yi’s fist force broke through everything in its way. His fist looked fair as jade, yet every punch managed to break through that sharp and indomitable sword qi. It was despotic to the extreme.

Bam!

As they clashed, the surrounding earth cracked, and countless rocks exploded directly into powder.

The fragments shot through the air like arrows and buffeted the spectators. Some of the Grandmasters tried to defend themselves with true essence, but this wasn’t enough; the stones battered them anyway. Their energy flowed in reverse, and they hacked up blood.

As for those soldiers who’d yet to reach the Grandmaster Realm? All of them had long since fled and sought refuge elsewhere.

The aftershock of this battle was just too terrifying; it could easily sweep through the crowd and deal fatal damage!

As the battle neared its end, there was almost no sign of Su Yi and Li Changning; all the onlookers could see was a glittering golden crane soaring through the skies, locking in brutal combat with a white flood dragon. Every time they clashed, they stirred up countless furious waves. Soon, the surrounding buildings were nothing but rubble.

“This is just too terrifying!” Countless people felt a chill course down their spines, and their hair stood on end.

The overwhelming majority of the martial artists present had never witnessed a clash of this level before.

This battle raged above the nine heavens; it was like a stand-off between gods. The sheer power on display overturned their imaginations!

Even the likes of Shi Lanshan and You Xinglin had never seen such an unbelievable battle before.

Why was it so unbelievable? That was simple: one combatant was an Earthly Immortal famed throughout the Great Qin, while the other was a seventeen-year-old, third-level Grandmaster!

Their battle raged from the earth and into the heavens. Su Yi’s punches were like fierce waves, and the longer the duel lasted, the more valiantly he fought. In the end, suddenly—

Bang!

After yet another clash, Li Changning was sent flying; Su Yi’s sword intent had actually sent him staggering back!

“Li Changning, show me your true abilities! With these paltry sword skills, you aren’t even qualified to act as my whetstone!” Su Yi stood in the air, radiant light surging through his eyes.

“Is that so?” Li Changning stabilized his bedraggled figure. There was no sign of emotion, neither joy nor sorrow, on his face. However, his eyes blazed with fiery light.

“I cultivate a peerless sword technique created by a senior of our Profound Moon temple. That senior was once a white snake of extraordinary talent, and he fused everything he learned in his life into his Dao of the Sword. Now, I, Li Changning, shall show you my sword’s true essence!”  

Boom!

An unshakable, indomitable, eternal sword intent rose from his gaunt frame.

A moment later, he raised Return to Origin. The sword led, and the man followed as his entire being transformed into a several hundred-foot arc of sword intent.

The white sword arc instantly manifested nine layers, giving rise to nine distinct and mysterious powers. There was fierce wind, there was searing heavenly flame, there were surging currents of baleful mist, there were streaks of lightning…

All of these changes fused into the sword, and its power instantly exploded, soaring to shocking heights.

“Cut!” Li Changning bellowed, then swung furiously downward. That vast sword intent far surpassed his earlier attacks, especially as its power spread out. His might increased explosively. 

“A good attack.” Su Yi’s long black hair and blue robes fluttered around him, and he suddenly swung his fist.

There was nothing remarkable about his punch, no flashiness or sparks. It was simple and unsophisticated, yet as it flew through the air, heaven and earth trembled.

Boom!

The crowd felt as if their hearts had been struck by lightning. They were in so much pain that they almost coughed up blood. The fist’s momentum was just that powerful!

Even back in the Qi Accumulation Realm, Su Yi had already attained Dao Astral Force and comprehended a trace of the Dao’s charm. When he threw a punch, it seemed to encompass the force of heaven and earth.

This punch had no name, but if he had to call it something, he could call it a Dao Punch!

As it descended, no matter how much Li Changning’s sword light resisted, that simple, unadorned, unremarkable punch of Su Yi’s bore relentlessly down!

Bang!!!

An explosion rang out.

Li Changning’s sword qi burst apart in midair, stirring up a rain of snow-white flecks of light, which descended like an avalanche. 

Immediately afterward, the force of the blow slammed into Li Changning, sending him flying several hundred feet back.

By the time he steadied himself, his clothes were in tatters and his hair was in disarray. His face was pallid, and blood poured uncontrollably from the corners of his lips. 

De-...Defeated? The crowd watched, dumbstruck and tongue-tied. They practically went insane.

That was an Earthly Immortal! How transcendent of an existence was he?

But from the moment their duel first began, it was Su Yi, the young third-level Grandmaster, who displayed the most terrifying strength. Li Changning couldn’t seize any advantage at all.

Especially now. That seemingly invincible fist shook and even injured Li Changning! Its power struck awe into the hearts of everyone present. They felt beads of sweat form on their skin, and their hair stood on end; it was as if they’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

How heaven-defying and terrifying did one’s foundations have to be before they could deliver such an absurdly powerful punch?

“Su Yi, it doesn’t matter whether or not you're possessed. To wield such heaven-defying power in the Grandmaster Realm makes you a peerless and unprecedented genius. Even your fist technique transcends mundanity and approaches the Dao. It’s miraculous indeed.” Li Changning wiped the blood from the corners of his lips and said in a raspy voice.

However, his face showed no sign of dejection. On the contrary, the light in his eyes blazed ever brighter. He shook his head. “It’s a pity, but ultimately, you aren’t an Earthly Immortal, so you are destined to die here today.”

As he spoke, he flung Return to Origin.

Clang!

The hum of the sword reverberated like thunder.

Li Changning stood in the air as Return to Origin revolved in the air above him. All the origin energy within several miles around them started gathering around him, as if it were being pulled. Soon, it gathered into a windstorm. 

Crack!

The skies were originally bright and clear, but they suddenly flashed with lightning.

How vast was the power contained within a several-mile stretch of heaven and earth? It was far beyond a mortal martial artist’s ability to control.

Li Changning’s face was visibly growing paler and paler, and beads of sweat formed on his brow and temples, but he didn’t seem to notice in the least. He poured his complete focus into manipulating the power of heaven and earth.

“This is…” Everyone instinctively looked up. They could sense the stark change; an invisible, oppressive and destructive power spread unchecked through the skies. It was like the majesty of the heavens; the sight made them feel paltry and insignificant. 

“Is the weather changing?” Xiao Tianque was waiting some distance from the Cloud-Scraping King’s camp, to the side of Cloud-Sweeping Ridge. The change startled him, and he suddenly peered up into the dome of the heavens.

He then saw the vast origin power of heaven and earth gathering from all sides and forming a windstorm. It bore down on the skies and surged toward the military encampment.

The rocks and vegetation shook, while the wind picked up sand and pebbles.

Xiao Tianque was so stunned, he shook from head to toe. This… What terrifying level of power is this?

Meanwhile, Su Yi squinted, and a faint, surprised arc rose on the corners of his lips. He naturally could tell that Li Changning had unleashed some secret art and that he was using his qi and essence to control the power of his surroundings. 

This was “borrowing force”, using one’s own power to direct the power of heaven and earth!

“This is a bit interesting.” Su Yi’s clothes swayed around him, and his deep gaze was as sharp and intimidating as the edge of a sword. “I’d actually quite like to see how much power you can borrow with your Grain Avoidance Realm cultivation if you go all out…”

Just a reminder: the Peerless Martial Emperor, Gongye Chi, is Su Yi’s old friend from a past life. He hasn’t actually appeared in the novel, but Su Yi talked about him a bit early on.