Chapter 2104 : Clash of Primordial Titans

"Is that so?"

Xander Chen let out a cold sneer, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

In that instant, Xander Chen shot through the air, the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Lance in his hand tearing through the Void as he descended to suppress Savage Bone Great Emperor.

"Perfect timing."

Savage Bone Great Emperor snorted coldly, instantly propelling his heavy sword skyward to smash towards Xander Chen with overwhelming force.

Yet, after their brief clash, Savage Bone Great Emperor remained utterly unmoved, while Xander Chen was sent hurtling backwards by the sheer impact.

"Trouble."

Many of the observing Grand Luo Golden Immortal and even Primordial Chaos Emperor Monarch cultivators paled, their faces etched with profound concern.

Even several of the Human Race Great Emperor grew anxious. Purple Tenuity Great Emperor quickly turned to Eldrin Chen and asked, "Dao Progenitor, do you require our assistance?"

"There is no need."

Eldrin Chen remained composed, his expression unperturbed as he spoke calmly, "This Savage Bone possesses immense strength, but it is only by relying on the power of his Innate Supreme Treasure [a supreme-grade magical artifact born from the primordial chaos] that he gains the upper hand in raw force."

With Eldrin Chen's discerning eye, he could naturally perceive the crux of the matter.

The True Spirit Divine Form [a divine transformation technique that manifests one's true spiritual essence] cultivated by this Savage Bone Great Emperor was primarily of the physique and strength type. Furthermore, the heavy sword in his hand was forged from Sinking Abyss Divine Iron [a divine-grade ore of immense density and weight], a quantity of material sufficient to craft several Innate Supreme Treasure.

Such brute force, combined with the might of the Sinking Abyss Heavy Sword, indeed made him a peerless adversary in terms of raw power, granting him immense effectiveness in frontal combat.

However, in a one-on-one duel, sheer strength is not always the decisive factor.

With Xander Chen's speed and techniques, augmented by the profound mysteries of the Insight Heavenly Eye [a divine ability that grants profound insight and reveals flaws], he could easily evade the opponent's most aggressive assaults, seek out his flaws and weaknesses, and ultimately achieve victory.

The reason for engaging in a direct confrontation was that Xander Chen wished to test whether the strength and physique of this Savage Bone Great Emperor were truly formidable enough.

"Not weak in strength and defense."

Xander Chen spoke slowly, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes.

Had it been one hundred Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years] ago, given his foundational strength and accumulated depth of power, he might truly have been unable to defeat this Savage Bone Great Emperor.

However, now empowered by the Space-Time Divine Form and having cultivated for over ten thousand Kalpa Tribulation [an immense cosmic cycle in Buddhist cosmology, often billions of years] under Eldrin Chen's guidance, his foundational strength and reserves had long since reached the absolute pinnacle of the Great Emperor realm.

Bolstered by the Chaos Divine Rune, even in a direct confrontation, he was not necessarily much weaker than the Savage Bone Great Emperor, let alone the fact that his speed, reaction time, and Insight [the ability to perceive the flow of energy and intent] far surpassed those of the Savage Bone Great Emperor.

Having probed the strength of Savage Bone, Xander Chen abandoned the strategy of direct clashes. Instead, he relied on his superior speed and the profound mysteries of his Insight Heavenly Eye to engage in a continuous, evasive battle.

Thus, the battle raged on for over one hundred thousand exchanges, and without anyone noticing, it descended into a prolonged stalemate.

Overall, however, Xianzhu Chen, leveraging his speed and Insight, completely suppressed the brute-force Savage Bone Great Emperor, securing a definite upper hand.

Yet, the Savage Bone Great Emperor possessed terrifying power; a single counterattack held the potential to grievously wound Xianzhu Chen, which kept Xianzhu Chen from finding the decisive opening to end the fight.

Even so, after being forced into a defensive posture for so long, the Savage Bone Great Emperor finally lost his patience.

With a furious roar, he surged into the air, pushing his combat prowess to its absolute limit. Then, raising his colossal greatsword, he brought it crashing down towards Xianzhu Chen with earth-shattering force.

"You grow impatient, sir,"

Xander Chen spoke, a faint smile on his lips as he retreated several steps with fluid grace, effortlessly evading the Savage Bone Great Emperor's Slaughter strike.

The Savage Bone Great Emperor wore an expression of profound gloom, yet he used the momentum to pivot and charge, soaring into the air with boundless battle intent to deliver a cleaving strike, continuing his assault towards Xander Chen.

"The weapon borrows the wielder's strength, the wielder borrows the weapon's momentum."

Xander Chen dodged once more, nodding with satisfaction as he remarked, "Your mastery over this greatsword has reached the level of wielding it as an extension of your own limb."

"Seven Extremities of the Primordial Wilds Slash!"

With a sudden roar, the Savage Bone Great Emperor soared skyward, then channeled his power into the greatsword to unleash seven consecutive strikes.

In that instant, the Savage Bone Great Emperor surged upwards, locking onto Xander Chen with an overwhelming tide of battle intent, unleashing his ultimate, trump-card technique.

Each of these seven successive sword strikes erupted with supreme, devastating power, with each subsequent blow's force increasing by roughly thirty percent over the last.

Faced with such an unbroken torrent of seven strikes, even a Sage Ascendant Ancestor [a cultivator who has ascended to the penultimate stage before true immortality] would likely suffer grievous harm if they tried to block them head-on.

Yet Xander Chen remained utterly unfazed. Activating his Chaos Divine Rune [a supreme divine ability born from primordial chaos], he forcibly shattered the lock of the boundless battle intent, continuously evading the Savage Bone Great Emperor's Slaughter technique.

After nimbly avoiding all seven strikes, Xander Chen abruptly reversed his course. He summoned his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Lance and surged back into the fray.

"Now is the moment."

"Eighth Desolate Slash!"

At the same moment, Savage Bone Great Emperor revealed a triumphant smile, then fiercely drove his heavy sword in a cleaving upward arc, unleashing an unprecedented, supremely powerful strike.

The force of Savage Bone Great Emperor's blow could be described as his full, desperate might. Its power far surpassed his previous limits, enough to make many of the Sage Ascendant present change their expressions.

"This is bad. That strike from this youth is likely powerful enough to severely injure even a peak-level Sage Ascendant."

Instantly, the expressions of many Sage Ascendant in the heavens above shifted dramatically. The Primordial Spirit Emperor beside Eldrin Chen almost couldn't restrain himself from intervening.

However, Eldrin Chen held him back, speaking calmly, "It is of no consequence. Erlang is more than capable of handling it."

And in that very instant, the ultimate strike from Savage Bone Great Emperor crashed down upon Xander Chen.

Yet, contrary to all expectations, Savage Bone Great Emperor, who had delivered the blow, did not show a look of wild elation. Instead, his face paled with shock and terror.

For Xander Chen's figure suddenly dissipated like mist. Then, Xander Chen's form materialized behind Savage Bone Great Emperor.

In that fleeting instant, Xander Chen raised his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Lance high and brought it down with a force that could sunder mountains, aiming directly for the back of the Savage Bone Great Emperor.

Caught completely off guard, the Savage Bone Great Emperor barely managed to raise his greatsword in a desperate block. Yet, in the very next moment, he was sent flying through the air, coughing up a spray of blood.

Seizing the moment to press his advantage, Xander Chen unleashed a relentless, cascading barrage of attacks. The Savage Bone Great Emperor was utterly overwhelmed, unable to mount any defense. Under the furious assault, half of his body was brutally shattered into fragments.

"Aaargh—!"

A wretched scream tore from the Savage Bone Great Emperor's lips. Having suffered such grievous wounds in succession, seventy to eighty percent of his combat prowess had already been stripped away.

Seeing that the tide of battle had irrevocably turned toward his defeat and demise, he stared at Xander Chen with utter disbelief. His face contorted with profound resentment as he spoke, "You... you saw through my scheme?"

"The Seven Extremities of the Primordial Wilds Slash does indeed possess an eighth form, one you have never before revealed in combat."

"To conceal it as a trap for this one—your cunning is truly extraordinary."

Xander Chen's expression remained placid, his voice calm as he replied, "However, the Insight Heavenly Eye [a divine ability that grants profound perception into the true nature of all things] can pierce through all illusions. How could your feints and hidden depths possibly escape my sight?"

Indeed, the Insight Heavenly Eye was profoundly mystical. Xander Chen had perceived long before that behind the Savage Bone Great Emperor's seventh strike lay concealed an even more terrifying, fatal blow.

Under such circumstances, all the schemes of Savage Bone came to naught. Instead, Xander Chen seized the opportunity to lure him into making a move, ultimately delivering the fatal blow.

"Pfft—"

Savage Bone Great Emperor, his face etched with unwillingness, finally managed a bitter smile and said, "I am defeated. My loss is not unjust."

"I send you to your final rest."

Xander Chen spoke, and with a flick of his sleeve, he stepped forward to suppress and slay Savage Bone Great Emperor.

Yet, in that very instant, one of the formidable figures among the Ten Heroes of the Foreign Realm [a legendary group of ten supreme warriors from a foreign realm] suddenly turned grim. In a flash, he summoned a War Halberd [a powerful polearm weapon] and brought it crashing down, its point aimed directly at Xander Chen.

"Clang—!"

But in that same moment, a blade-light from beyond the heavens interwove and descended, transforming into a whirling disc of blades that clashed with the War Halberd, blocking the full-force strike of this mighty warrior.

That brief moment of delay was all it took. Savage Bone Great Emperor had his head severed by Xander Chen, leaving behind only a corpse of Imperishable [a state of indestructible physical form] bones lying across the expanse of Chaos.

"Damnation!"

Witnessing this scene, the Foreign Realm Great Emperor [a supreme cultivator at the peak of power] paled, his expression shifting to one of towering rage. "Which Sage Ascendant [a supreme being who has ascended beyond the Great Emperor realm] dares to bully the weak with their strength?" he thundered. "Do you truly believe my Northern Abyss [a powerful, ancient faction in the cosmos] has no one left to stand against you?"

Upon hearing these words, the various Great Emperors of the Foreign Realm all wore expressions of icy fury.

The Ten Heroes of the Foreign Realm [the ten most formidable champions from the foreign realm] in particular revealed looks of profound indignation. In their eyes, this was clearly an act of aggression by a Sage Ascendant from the Southern Abyss [the rival faction to the Northern Abyss].

Yet, at that very moment, a slender figure emerged, strolling leisurely from within the Vast Chaotic Void [the primordial, formless expanse between realms]. The newcomer possessed strikingly handsome, youthful features. His mere approach, calm and unhurried, radiated an aura of invincibility that seemed to look down upon the Eight Desolations [the eight most desolate and dangerous corners of the cosmos].

Countless Celestial Sabers [divine blades of immense power] could be seen swirling and gathering behind him, coalescing into a single, blindingly brilliant wheel of radiant blades.

"A Great Emperor!"

Instantly, the complexions of the assembled heroes from the Northern Abyss Foreign Domain [the territory and influence of the Northern Abyss faction in the foreign realms] changed drastically.

The Demon Dragon Great Emperor's pupils constricted sharply. "A mere Great Emperor," he uttered, "yet possessing such profound cultivation?"

The newcomer did not answer them. Instead, he turned his gaze to Xander Chen and inquired, "Senior Brother, your reserves are significantly depleted. Allow this junior brother to handle what comes next."

Xander Chen gave a slight nod. With a casual motion, he collected the remains of the Savage Bone Great Emperor, then vanished into the depths of Chaos [the primordial, undifferentiated state of existence].

Only after he had departed did the tall, slender man turn his gaze to the Northern Abyss assembly. He then spoke, "This humble Daoist is Celestial Balance Scion. I greet you, fellow Daoists of the Northern Abyss."

"Celestial Balance Scion?"

The Northern Abyss cultivators exchanged glances. Finally, the figure gripping the War Halberd spoke, "We have not heard of you. We did not expect the Southern Abyss to harbor a powerhouse of your caliber."

"After today, you will surely remember my name."

Celestial Balance Scion stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping casually over the group before him. "Which of you will face me first?" he asked.

"Arrogant fool! I shall claim your head," declared the one holding the Heavenly Halberd.

With those words, the halberd-wielder raised his Heavenly Halberd and charged forward, his tone dripping with contempt. "Remember well! The one who slays you is named Skyrend Tuoba!"

As his voice faded, Skyrend Tuoba had already closed the distance, arriving before Celestial Balance Scion.

Facing the opponent's ultimate Slaughter technique, Celestial Balance Scion remained utterly unperturbed, his composure unbroken.

With a mere flick of his sleeve, the blade-wheel behind him began to separate, transforming into ten Moon Blade that shot into the air. They wove through the sky in an intricate, deadly dance, converging to strike at Skyrend Tuoba.

In that fleeting instant, countless blade radiances crisscrossed and interwove, forcing Skyrend Tuoba to devote his full strength to parrying them.

Simultaneously, Celestial Balance Scion soared into the air, using the momentum to break free from Skyrend Tuoba's relentless pursuit.

"A truly detestable fellow."

Seeing that Celestial Balance Scion refused to engage him in close combat, Skyrend Tuoba was driven nearly mad with fury. His battle intent surged forth in an instant, shaking the very Eight Desolations [the eight desolate and extreme regions of the world].

In that same breath, Skyrend Tuoba continuously wielded the Heavenly Halberd to counter his formidable foe. He even manifested his true Chaotic Fiendgod [a primordial race of powerful, chaotic demon-gods] form, a pair of Heaven Sundering [a divine ability capable of rending the heavens] wings unfurling behind him.

"A Chaotic Fiendgod, of the Cosmos-Rending Heavenly Roc [a legendary avian demon beast whose wings can tear the fabric of the cosmos] lineage."

Celestial Balance Scion's eyes glinted with a sharp light as he continued to channel his blade-wheels, engaging the enemy in a relentless, furious clash.

As the personal disciple of Eldrin Chen, Celestial Balance Scion had received meticulous guidance and nurturing from his master over the years.

Now, he had not only achieved the Great Emperor's Absolute Peak [the pinnacle realm of a Great Emperor] but had also cultivated a formidable Grand Dao Divine Form [a divine avatar embodying the principles of the Grand Dao].

Compared to the ordinary Path of Dao Dominion [a cultivation art focused on dominating the Dao], the advantages of the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art that gains power through profound personal sacrifice] were simply immense.

Even at the same Great Emperor's Absolute Peak [the pinnacle stage of the Great Emperor realm], a cultivator of the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a supreme cultivation art that sacrifices the external world to forge an inner domain] possesses a complete Primordial Unity Immortal Domain [an inner world formed by merging one's spiritual foundation with the laws of the universe] within. With the full support of the Origin [the fundamental source power] and Laws [the cosmic principles] of a complete Primordial Unity Immortal Domain, the spiritual power of a Path of Self-Sacrifice cultivator exceeds that of a typical Great Emperor [a sovereign-level cultivator] by more than tenfold.

Even more formidable is that, beyond the empowerment of the Inner Immortal Domain [the ability to manifest one's inner world externally], the Path of Self-Sacrifice also receives the support of the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries [ten legendary reservoirs of spiritual power and essence], granting it a wellspring of power that is nearly inexhaustible.

It can be said that a Great Emperor expert of the Path of Self-Sacrifice is, in essence, a fusion of a Great Emperor and a Great EmperorDaoist Abode [a cultivator's sanctum, often a cave or palace imbued with spiritual energy], capable of unleashing power that transcends the ultimate limits of an ordinary Great Emperor.

Any Great Emperor of the Path of Self-Sacrifice, upon successfully cultivating the Primordial Unity Limitless Immortal Domain [the perfected, boundless form of the inner immortal domain], will possess combat prowess at least comparable to that of a Sage Ascendant [a half-step sage, a realm above Great Emperor].

As for the present Celestial Balance Scion, not only has he reached the Great Emperor's Absolute Peak, empowered by a supreme Primordial Unity Immortal Domain, but he has also broken through his Limit-Breaking [a state of surpassing one's inherent cultivation limits] multiple times to cultivate three of the great True Spirit Immortal Treasury [the highest tier among the legendary spiritual reservoirs].

The convergence of these profound foundations has elevated Celestial Balance Scion's strength to a level utterly incomparable to his past self, firmly placing him within the ranks of the Sage Ascendant Realm.

With such profound depth backing him, Celestial Balance Scion faced the present Skyrend Tuoba with effortless ease, completely suppressing his opponent.

"Damnation! He must have walked the Path of Dao Dominion [a cultivation path focused on absolute mastery over cosmic laws and long-range dominion]. If I can just close the distance, I can surely slay him."

Unable to lay a hand on Celestial Balance Scion, Skyrend Tuoba was forced into a passive defense, merely weathering the assault. As the situation grew increasingly dire, he could endure no longer. With a furious roar, he threw caution to the wind and unveiled his ultimate trump card. In that instant, the Eight True Spirit Divine Forms [manifestations of eight primordial beast spirits] behind him merged and coalesced, transforming into a single, colossal wing woven from the fabric of the Great Dao [the supreme, underlying principle of all existence]. This wing fused seamlessly with the pair already upon his back.

Then, with a mighty beat that sundered the Void [the empty space between dimensions], he vanished and reappeared in a flash before Celestial Balance Scion.

"Where do you think you can run to now, you brat?"

Gazing at the now perilously close Celestial Balance Scion, Skyrend Tuoba let out a vicious sneer before lunging forward to deliver a final, annihilating strike.

Yet, in that very instant, Celestial Balance Scion finally moved. With a mere flick of his sleeve, his hand shot out and seized the lethally gleaming Heavenly Halberd, effortlessly halting Skyrend Tuoba's most devastating attack.

"Ah, I forgot to mention,"

Celestial Balance Scion murmured softly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "For us who walk the Path of Self-Sacrifice, our greatest strength lies in our physical form, and our most potent weapon is our own fist."

*BOOM… CRACK…*

In that moment, the surrounding Chaos first imploded violently, then erupted with a cataclysmic Eruption of ultimate force.

Skyrend Tuoba was sent hurtling backward by a single, world-shattering punch, and Celestial Balance Scion instantly gave chase.

Behind him, the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries materialized, radiating a light of eternal, Imperishable brilliance. A power capable of shaking the heavens and shifting the earth trembled through the entire expanse of the Chaos Sea.

The clash between these two supreme powers swept across the Eight Desolations, churning up terrifying Chaos Tsunamis. Chaos, storms, and pure Annihilation manifested as dreadful, apocalyptic phenomena.

At the very heart of the battlefield, the two combatants fought with a ferocity that bordered on utter madness.

No one could tell how much time had passed when, suddenly, a piercing shriek erupted from the epicenter. The Vast Chaotic Sea was violently swept aside by a shockwave, finally allowing the onlookers to witness the scene at the core of the conflict.

There, at the very center, stood Celestial Balance Scion, the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries [ten supreme cultivation techniques representing ultimate mastery] swirling behind him. In his hands, he clutched a pair of crimson wings.

Kneeling amidst the Chaos was Skyrend Tuoba, his own wings having been brutally torn from his back at some point during the clash.

"This... is impossible."

Silence reigned within the Void [a profound state of emptiness and potential] for a long moment, before a voice thick with disbelief finally broke it.

The countless heroes from across the Foreign Realm stared, their faces etched with shock and utter incredulity.

"Skyrend Tuoba, a practitioner of the Sainthood through the Flesh [a cultivation path focused on achieving divinity through physical perfection], has been defeated in a contest of pure physical might... by a cultivator of the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art that gains power through personal sacrifice and hardship]."

Countless minds reeled, unable to process what they had just witnessed. Expressions of profound disbelief were mirrored on every face.

Even when Savage Bone had been defeated by Xander Chen, it had not been so difficult to accept. After all, Xander Chen himself walked the Sainthood through the Flesh and had even mastered the power of the Chaos Divine Rune [a divine ability born from primordial chaos]. This victory defied all conventional understanding.

Being defeated by Xander Chen only served to further prove the formidable power of the Fleshly Body Sage Attainment Path [a supreme cultivation path focused on tempering the physical body to its absolute limit].

Yet, to be defeated by Celestial Balance Scion—and in close-quarters combat, no less—was something that left nearly everyone present utterly incredulous.

It must be understood that those who walk the Sainthood through the Flesh [the path of achieving sagehood through physical perfection] have, since time immemorial, been the very symbol of invincibility in melee combat.

Whether it be practitioners of the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment [a cultivation path focused on refining the primordial spirit] or the more mainstream Path of Dao Dominion [the orthodox path of mastering the Dao through spiritual energy], once they engage in close combat with a peer who has attained Sainthood through the Flesh, the only outcome is inevitable defeat and demise.

For Celestial Balance Scion to have defeated Skyrend Tuoba in such a direct confrontation suggested that the Path of Self-Sacrifice [a cultivation art forged through supreme personal sacrifice] could now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with, or perhaps even surpass, the legendary Sainthood through the Flesh?

As this realization dawned, disbelief washed over the assembly, painting expressions of profound astonishment upon every face.

Only Eldrin Chen, and those powerful cultivators who themselves practiced the Path of Self-Sacrifice, were not taken by surprise.

Eldrin Chen understood clearly. The Path of Self-Sacrifice was founded upon the principles of mortal martial arts, yet it synthesized the strengths of the Path of Dao Dominion, the Sainthood through the Flesh, and the Primordial Spirit Dao Attainment. It was a creation that stood upon the shoulders of giants.

The Body of Self-Sacrifice [a unique physical constitution born from this path] was itself forged from the very essence of one's Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator], magical power, and physical form. Augmented further by the Inner Immortal Domain [an internal realm of power] and the Ten Great Immortal Treasuries [a set of ten supreme cultivation techniques], it was never meant to be inferior to those who walked the Sainthood through the Flesh.

Thus, a direct victory over Skyrend Tuoba was, in truth, an outcome long foreseen.

Yet, those from the Foreign Realm [a hostile, foreign dimension] harbored no such thoughts. One by one, the formidable foes from that realm revealed expressions of profound apprehension.

Demon Dragon Great Emperor was the first to take to the skies, leading the remaining seven champions of the Foreign Realm as they silently encircled Celestial Balance Scion.

In the blink of an eye, one of the Foreign Realm Great Emperor [a supreme ruler among cultivators, possessing immense power] spoke, his voice cutting through the tension. "Celestial Balance Scion, you are surrounded."

Celestial Balance Scion gave a slight nod, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. "Ganging up on a single opponent. Do you feel no shame?"

The Foreign Realm Great Emperor chuckled, a cold, humorless sound. "When dealing with hypocrites of the so-called righteous path, concepts like fairness and honor are irrelevant. We shall naturally stand together."

"I see."

Celestial Balance Scion let out a derisive laugh. "Brothers, did you hear that?"

"When facing these vile scum of the Demonic Path [the path of cultivation that embraces darkness, chaos, and often forbidden arts], we need not adhere to notions of fair play either."

"Trouble!"

A cold dread seized Demon Dragon Great Emperor's heart. He whirled around, his gaze sweeping across the horizon in all directions.

Yet, within this expanse of sky, nine peerless Great Emperor [the supreme sovereigns of the cultivation world] had, without anyone noticing, encircled the area.

These nine figures were none other than the nine personal disciples of Eldrin Chen, namely Qingfeng Ye, Wen Yuan Lu, Alaric Lu, Yuannian, Purity Child, Yinghui Ye, Frostwing Yan, Xander Lin, and Tynan Zhang.

"The Ten True Disciples [the ten core disciples personally taught by the Abyssal Dao Progenitor] of the Abyssal Dao Progenitor [the progenitor of the Abyssal Dao path] have all arrived."

From within the Void [a profound state of emptiness and nothingness], a voice spoke slowly, tinged with awe. "Could it be that each of these Ten True Disciples possesses the power to rival a Sage Ascendant [a being who has ascended to the threshold of sagehood]?"