"Crack—"
Over the southern heartland of the Southern Continent, a deafening sound tore through the sky, the world splitting apart. Li Guang and the Barbarian Emperor clashed violently once more, separating to either side.
"Again!!"
The Barbarian Emperor wiped the blood from his face, glaring fiercely at Li Guang, who held his battle saber. In the million years since he embarked on the path of martial arts, he had never faced such a strenuous battle.
"Boom!"
Torrential axe light and dazzling saber edges collided with a roar. The two figures fought with increasing ferocity. Despite physical exhaustion, their primal energy remained boundless. Their fighting spirit burned intensely, and killing intent billowed.
"Sizzle—"
"Hummm—"
In the heart of the Southern Barbarian lands, a thousand miles from the center of the battlefield, lay the stronghold of the Azure Dragon Legion. This was the closest city to the battle, captured by the Azure Dragon Legion days ago. In a corner of the city, a spatial rift tore open, unleashing waves of golden primal energy—vast, ancient, and profound.
Xu Chu stepped forward, his eyes instantly drawn to the turbulent, exploding void in the distance. His eyes flickered, "Li Guang, is that figure the Barbarian Emperor or the Barbarian High Priest!"
With a stomp of his feet, he left the city far behind. In mere breaths, he arrived at the location where Commander Chen Tang's army was stationed.
"Xu Chu?"
Chen Tang frowned, watching Xu Chu speed towards him.
"General Chen, the capital of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, Heyun City, has been captured by the Golden Ni Legion. However, the Barbarian Emperor and the High Priest were not found!"
Xu Chu's expression was grave.
"The Barbarian Emperor, then that means!"
Chen Tang nodded with a slight smile, but then his expression turned serious. "If the Barbarian Emperor is here, where has the High Priest gone?"
"Alas!"
Xu Chu shook his head. "I'm not sure. This High Priest is suspected to be an otherworldly visitor, not belonging to this plane. Dealing with him is relatively tricky. The Emperor specially ordered me to assist the army."
"With General Li Guang holding this place, it should be fine. We also have Feng Yi and Ma Yuan reinforcing our lines. General Xu Chu, it is best to search for the Barbarian High Priest as soon as possible. Until he is eliminated, he will always be a menace."
Chen Tang gripped his three-foot green peak, his voice heavy.
"In that case, Xu Chu takes his leave!"
Xu Chu turned around, and a bloody tiger with glowing eyes appeared in the void. A flash of bloody light spanned a thousand miles.
"Who?"
The Barbarian Emperor's face contorted, cold sweat breaking out. He hurriedly pulled away from Li Guang and looked towards Xu Chu, his face ashen. "What a remarkable Great Han human! Such astonishing blood energy, this Emperor is no match!"
"Nothing more than this!"
Xu Chu smiled slightly, then lost interest. He turned and entered the Rice Granary Path, vanishing into the horizon.
"Barbarian Emperor, I am your opponent!"
Li Guang roared, his long saber sweeping horizontally, cleaving downwards. The Barbarian Emperor instinctively looked up, raising his giant axe. A massive collision occurred, the void shattering inch by inch. Dense golden light frantically repaired the spatial cracks.
"Break!"
Li Guang roared, his saber imbued with a swimming Azure Dragon. Obscure runes flowed across the blade. He raised his saber, channeling two-thirds of his blood energy and primal energy into his arms, and the remaining third into his lower body.
Blood energy condensed. Li Guang's eyes flashed with crimson, and a powerful aura, the pinnacle of saber intent, surged forth.
With a single strike, blood energy churned, and saber shadows crisscrossed!
"Battle!"
The Barbarian Emperor refused to be outdone. He had been shaken by Xu Chu's formidable presence, but he now cast Xu Chu aside. His axe light summoned a sky full of thunder, and he poured all his strength into a furious cleave at Li Guang.
"Bang bang bang!"
Saber light and axe light met. Li Guang's Azure Dragon armor was covered in cracks. Dazzling azure light stabilized the fracturing armor. With a deafening roar, the Barbarian Emperor's arm split open, revealing bloody gashes. Warm currents flowed through his flesh, igniting his savage battle intent.
The two clashed furiously in the void. On one side, an azure dragon roared and occasionally wailed. On the other, axe light flashed, the void shattered, and occasional bloody streaks shot out. The void broke apart, only to be repaired endlessly.
"You are weakened!"
Li Guang, holding his long saber, felt his battle intent gradually recede, but his saber strikes remained unhesitating and deadly.
"Nonsense!"
The Barbarian Emperor roared, "This Emperor is the ruler of the Southern Continent, the peak of martial arts in the Cangyuan world! How can I be weak!"
"Die by my hand!"
His subsequent attacks were noticeably fatigued, his primal energy weakening, lacking its previous ferocity.
"Behold my saber!"
Li Guang sneered, stomped his feet, and shot into the void. He held his long saber, looking down at the berserk Barbarian Emperor with contemptuous eyes, which only enraged the Barbarian Emperor further.
"How dare you look down on this Emperor!"
Li Guang ignored the Barbarian Emperor and furiously slashed down. The Azure Dragon ambushed the earth, light flashing, and a faint bloody glow flickered.
"Barbarian honor!"
The Barbarian Emperor roared, his battle axe gleaming. He blocked the downward slashing saber light. Divine light erupted, and between the two, infinite sparks burst forth, layer upon layer of primal energy waves sweeping across the sky.
Li Guang's expression was calm. He didn't expect to kill the Barbarian Emperor with this strike. He pulled his right arm back, flicked his wrist, and the saber spun rapidly, dissipating the fierce sharpness of the battle axe. The Barbarian Emperor's eyes flashed as the rapidly spinning saber vibrated, shaking his hands.
"Ah..."
"Dong dong dong~~"
His heart pounded violently. Blood energy was drawn from him, condensed in his heart. His essence blood gathered completely.
A decisive blow!
The Barbarian Emperor knew his primal energy was depleted. Lingering would lead to certain death. With a desperate gamble, he might still have a chance. Looking at Li Guang, whose blood energy was still vigorous, his ambition completely collapsed. If Li Guang was this strong, how formidable must that human figure who appeared earlier be!
"Battle!"
The Barbarian Emperor wielded his battle axe and struck with all his might, blood energy erupting from his heart and flowing through his entire body.
"Boom!"
The clash of their final attacks tore a massive gap in the void. A pair of giant eyes swept down with confusion, looking at the fiercely battling Li Guang and the Barbarian Emperor. A slight frown crossed its face, and it murmured softly, "Such powerful beings!"
"That is?"
Chen Tang, Ma Yuan, Feng Yi, and Cen Peng, far away, saw the dark, divine eyes within the black void that had split open. Their faces instantly turned grim. The dark eyes, like those of a deity, swept down. The nine heavens of Cangyuan rumbled, and an immense force, almost unbearable, pressed down. The men immediately spat out blood and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Their bodies were deeply embedded in the earth as they gasped for air, powerless.
"Interesting!"
The divine-like giant eyes scanned the battlefield within a radius of dozens of miles. Before the divine light could extend further, it was obscured by the golden light that repaired the cracks.
High in the nine heavens, the final, desperate strike of Li Guang and the Barbarian Emperor had not only torn open the void but also turned miles of earth to dust.