Gazing up at Jian Ji, suspended high in the sky.
Feng Qi's face twisted into a savage grin.
Jian Ji was the final target of his God Ascension Challenge, the one he swore to kill on this sacrificial path.
Facing Jian Ji, his blood surged—there was not a trace of fear in his heart.
At the same time, the Demon Blade entered a frenzied state.
A state it had never shown in previous God Ascension Challenges. Feng Qi could clearly feel the blade's power surging, reaching an entirely new height.
"A Qi?!"
Right then, Mu Qing's voice trembled with suppressed emotion.
"Shijie, it's me."
Without turning around, Feng Qi nodded as he replied. As his words fell, the Demon Blade in his hand swelled again, pressing upward with unstoppable force against the giant energy sword.
In an instant, a dense swarm of black blade Qi formed around the Demon Blade, streaking toward the sky like meteor showers.
The upward-slashing meteoric blade Qi roared with the Demon Blade, unleashing power beyond anything seen before.
Now, the Demon Blade had finally entered its true unsealed state.
The colossal energy sword, over a thousand meters long, endured three waves of assaults before finally shattering, and the sky filled with torrents of black blade Qi rushing toward Jian Ji.
At this point, Jian Ji's eyes had turned completely white, devoid of all emotion.
As the blade Qi closed in, he abruptly pointed the Burning Heaven Sword downward.
One million sword spirits followed his motion, slashing together.
A pure white sword formation spread rapidly outward from the tip of the Burning Heaven Sword, instantly covering several kilometers.
The rotating formation bloomed like a vast flower.
The blade Qi clashed against it, shredding space into layers of spatial fissures as it was neutralized.
Once the black blade Qi was completely dispersed, Jian Ji locked eyes with Feng Qi and spoke coldly:
"You've grown stronger."
"Strong enough to cut you down!"
"Not yet."
Hearing that, Feng Qi grinned. His arm followed the will of the Demon Blade and suddenly slashed forward.
Blade Qi gathered rapidly as the Demon Blade pushed ahead.
When it slashed down, the condensed blade Qi took the form of a black-flamed phoenix, wings spread, soaring upward into the sky.
Holding the pose of the slash, Feng Qi slowly looked up.
Jian Ji raised the Burning Heaven Sword again at that moment, forming another energy great sword.
Boom!
As the twin wings of blade Qi clashed with the energy great sword once more, the resulting shockwave turned into a violent storm, obliterating all remnants on the ground. The entire northern section of Winterfell was affected.
And the terrifying pressure kept climbing.
"Demon Blade, still not enough!"
Jian Ji's raspy voice echoed. Behind him, one million sword spirits abruptly raised their swords and slashed downward.
Countless sword Qi streams converged in the sky. Blinding sword light turned the world to day.
Boom!
With a fully charged swing, Jian Ji shattered the twin-winged blade Qi and brought the sword down with the force of heaven and earth, tearing open countless spatial rifts. The sky cracked like shattered glass.
Feng Qi didn't respond. He raised the Demon Blade once more to meet it.
In mid-air, the Demon Blade suddenly expanded, transforming into a massive black blade several hundred meters long.
Boom!
The strike caused the ground beneath Feng Qi to collapse instantly. The pressure of the blast tore up the broken battlefield, sending debris flying in every direction.
Roar!
Feng Qi's eyes turned pitch-black, and the fire of blade momentum burned furiously in his chest.
He felt like his blood was boiling.
It was partly the Demon Blade's influence—and partly his own obsessive will to kill Jian Ji igniting.
As the Demon Blade clashed with the pure white sword formation, spiritual light scattered across the sky.
Sensing Feng Qi's rising momentum, Jian Ji no longer held back. He began swinging the Burning Heaven Sword repeatedly.
The pressure on Feng Qi spiked. Every muscle in his body tensed.
But that pressure also activated his God Ascension Challenge cultivation. He felt new power budding inside him.
Roar!
With a bellow, Feng Qi spread his legs wide and used all his strength to support the Demon Blade.
"Kill!"
The Demon Blade's voice exploded in his mind.
Feng Qi took a deep breath and shoved the Demon Blade skyward. The erupting power cleaved open the sword formation, and the black blade Qi appeared in front of Jian Ji in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
The blade Qi collided with Jian Ji's body.
In that moment, black blade Qi appeared on the bodies of the one million sword spirits as well.
Jian Ji channeled the invading Demon Blade's power into the one million sword spirits, letting them absorb the damage for him.
Within seconds, the black blade Qi entwined around Jian Ji's body dispersed. His figure was restored as if nothing had happened—no sign of injury at all.
This time, Jian Ji said nothing more. With a wave of his hand, the Sword Spirit Grand Formation shifted from behind him to directly in front.
Using the Burning Heaven Sword as the medium, the one million sword spirits stabbed forward in unison.
In a flash, pure white sword Qi intersected mid-air, forming yet another massive sword Qi array.
Feng Qi's strength lay in close combat. The Demon Blade's nature was "heavy."
This time, he didn't try to clash head-on with Jian Ji again. Instead, he stomped his right foot hard against the ground.
The surface collapsed, and his body shot into the sky.
The Demon Blade drew a streak of black light in the air and once more collided with the sword formation.
Jian Ji swung the Burning Heaven Sword, and lotus-shaped sword Qi bloomed across the sky.
Surging sword intent continuously crashed against the flame of Feng Qi's blade momentum, but it only further awakened the ferocity buried within both Feng Qi and the Demon Blade.
As the Demon Blade struck, black light exploded.
The sky seemed to be shrouded by a black curtain, clashing violently against the pure white.
Feng Qi gripped the hilt tightly, his pitch-black eyes locked onto the white sword Qi array, breaking it apart bit by bit.
Roar!
With a furious bellow, he gripped the blade in both hands and shattered the sword Qi array.
But what came next was a torrent of sword Qi lotuses, like colossal grinding wheels that swept his body into their midst.
Facing Jian Ji's sword technique, Feng Qi suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure.
The rotating sword Qi lotuses made him feel like he was being dismembered, pain stabbing through every inch of his body.
At that moment, the Demon Blade released an energy shield, and Feng Qi pushed forward. The pressure in front of him only grew stronger.
Just then, Mu Qing appeared at his side. Her blood-covered fist smashed hard into one of the sword Qi lotuses.
Feng Qi immediately felt the pressure drop—its power had clearly weakened.
Another silver glow shot in, transforming into a silver dragon that slammed into the sword Qi lotuses.
"A Qi, I'm here!"
Mu Qing didn't try to clear a path for him. A third of the jade-colored arcs around her body turned blood-red. Her terrifying right fist punched forward again, splitting the air with a sonic boom, causing the sword Qi lotuses to tremble.
It was obvious that Mu Qing's strength had spiked due to emotional fluctuation.
Feng Qi didn't answer.
The Demon Blade in his hand would never accept being aided by Mu Qing—otherwise, the God Ascension Challenge would lose its meaning.
His blood boiled within, and with Mu Qing and Mu Yan's help, Feng Qi's Demon Blade cleaved the sky, splitting the pure white sword Qi lotuses in two. His figure flew straight through the opening toward Jian Ji.
Suddenly, the Burning Heaven Sword expanded before his eyes.
Feng Qi grinned wickedly and raised the Demon Blade, slashing forward with unstoppable force to meet the strike head-on.
Blade and sword collided—just like the countless past clashes between them.
At that moment, the Demon Blade went fully berserk. Its strength surged without limit, trying to shatter the Burning Heaven Sword.
"Break!"
The Demon Blade's furious roar echoed in Feng Qi's mind.
The Burning Heaven Sword shone brilliantly. The enhancement gem embedded in the hilt glowed with dazzling brilliance.
Jian Ji's power surged dramatically at the same time.
The one million sword spirits followed his will and slowly slashed forward, drawing in the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.
Seeing this, a sword technique from the Sword Clan suddenly came to Feng Qi's mind.
Tong Tian Sword.
Just as he expected, as the technique unfolded, the ambient spiritual energy grew chaotic. Countless strands gathered into a massive golden sword.
Jian Ji abruptly withdrew the Burning Heaven Sword.
A colossal golden sword plummeted from the sky.
The impact struck the Demon Blade's edge, making Feng Qi's hands go numb. The golden light flared like a miniature sun, so bright he could barely keep his eyes open.
Empowered by the Sword Spirit Grand Formation, Jian Ji's sword technique was far more terrifying than a standard swing.
Feng Qi clenched his teeth and held on, blood seeping from his skin.
When he and the Demon Blade finally shattered the golden sword, the Burning Heaven Sword suddenly reappeared, striking the Demon Blade's edge once more.
A sharp metallic clang rang out as a crack appeared on the Demon Blade's surface.
This strike came when Feng Qi and the Demon Blade were completely spent. Unable to defend, Feng Qi was sent hurtling toward the ground in a streak of light.
At that moment, Mu Qing leaped up.
She caught Feng Qi midair, but was driven down with him as they both crashed deep into the ground below.
Feng Qi, slammed into the earth, felt his head spin and his consciousness blur.
Then he felt his left hand being grabbed.
Mu Qing pulled him out of the pit and dropped them both back on the surface.
Her voice, filled with concern, rang in his ears:
"A Qi, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Shaking his head, Feng Qi adjusted himself, then looked down at the Demon Blade in his hand.
He saw the crack on its surface fading rapidly, visibly healing.
"Can you still fight?"
"Kill!" The Demon Blade's raspy voice echoed in his mind.
Feng Qi raised his head, looking at Jian Ji in the sky as he continued constructing his sword array.
The pressure was immense—far beyond anything he had ever experienced.
With one million sword spirits, Jian Ji had become a flawless entity of offense and defense.
But no matter what, Feng Qi had to win.
He turned to Mu Qing and said:
"Shijie, stay away from me. Don't help me unless it's absolutely necessary!"
Before Mu Qing could respond, Feng Qi's consciousness dove into his spiritual sea and slapped awake the slumbering negative persona.
When he opened his eyes again, the energy of his negative persona intertwined with the Demon Blade's power, spreading across his body.
With shared perception between both personalities, the negative persona and primary self's energies entered a harmonious, symbiotic state—without conflict.
With both personas activated, Feng Qi now simultaneously wielded the powers of the Demon Blade and the negative persona.
The two energies split at the center of his body, coexisting side by side, clearly distinct—yet working as one.
The left side of Feng Qi's body was covered in gray energy from negative emotions, while the right side was wrapped in the black energy of the Demon Blade.
A half-formed, sinister gray mask emerged on the left side of his face, while a black metal faceguard from the blade armor covered the right cheek.
The negative energy mirrored the transformations of the Demon Blade's armor, constructing its form as a reflection.
A long gray mist-blade materialized in his left hand, formed entirely from the mirrored negative energy, identical in shape to the Demon Blade.
The negative energy continuously copied the Demon Blade's transformations, generating a mirrored amplification effect.
Now, his left side was the Negative Form, and his right side the Demon Blade Form.
Negative emotions kept eating away at his mind, triggering a fierce urge to destroy everything.
That was exactly why he had to make sure Mu Qing and Mu Yan stayed far away.
In this Asura Evil Ghost form, he could easily lose the distinction between friend and foe.
With his left hand gripping the negative blade and his right hand holding the Demon Blade, gray and black flames ignited all over Feng Qi's body.
Even his eyes had changed under the influence of these two energies.
His left eye burned with gray flames, while the right eye blazed with pitch-black fire.
The left half of his body was clad in pale white skeletal armor, while the right half was encased in cold, black metallic armor.
The two energies had reached a perfect balance under the state of dual-personality symbiosis.
He slowly raised his head and gazed toward Jian Ji suspended in the sky—his murderous intent exploding without restraint.
A deep growl rumbled from his throat, like a beast ready to devour its prey. A wave of murderous aura swept across the battlefield.
Seeing Feng Qi's transformation, Mu Qing and Mu Yan couldn't fully understand what was happening—but they chose to trust him and quickly backed away.
Feng Qi raised both the Demon Blade and the Ghost Blade.
Gray and black flames spread across his body, wrapping around both weapons.
A crazed grin crept across the left side of Feng Qi's face, like a demon finally unleashed.
Even the calm expression on his right side began to contort under the weight of the negative energy.
In this fusion of evil and madness, the Asura Evil Ghost Form had fully emerged.
Jian Ji, floating in the sky, was visibly shocked by the change.
This was his first time seeing two blades with the exact same form appear simultaneously. But he could clearly sense that the one in Feng Qi's left hand was not the true Demon Blade—it carried a completely different aura.
This blade was something even darker—purer in evil.
As if forged from an endless convergence of sin, a wicked blade was born.
Feng Qi moved.
His body crouched like a beast, then suddenly vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of the sword Qi array.
The Demon Blade slashed down, colliding with the sword Qi array.
The formation that Jian Ji had spent longer shaping was much tougher than expected. The instant the Demon Blade hit, Feng Qi was blasted back.
But as he was thrown through the air, Feng Qi slashed with his left hand. The gray blade energy from the Ghost Blade shot forward like a venomous snake, instantly piercing through the sword Qi array without resistance.
Caught off guard, Jian Ji was struck by the Ghost Blade's power.
A surge of negative emotion exploded, flooding into Jian Ji's spiritual sea and trying to pollute his mind.
His body trembled, his eyes gradually losing focus.
Feng Qi advanced again. The Demon Blade split into countless afterimages, slamming down on the sword Qi array like a rainstorm.
The wild barrage forced the array to activate on its own, continually releasing sword Qi to neutralize the strikes.
But without Jian Ji's conscious control, the energy within the formation was rapidly draining.
Finally, as Feng Qi slashed once more with the Demon Blade—
The near-impenetrable sword Qi array shattered, dissolving into golden spiritual energy that fell like rain from the sky.
Feng Qi closed in on Jian Ji. The Demon Blade in his hand expanded, turning into a towering black mountain as it smashed downward.
Just then, ripples appeared in Jian Ji's eyes—his consciousness had broken through the cage of negative emotions.
His right hand formed a sword-finger and shot up toward the falling Demon Blade.
The moment finger and blade met, Jian Ji's long hair flowed backward. A golden glow appeared in his pure white eyes.
The Demon Blade's power surged into Jian Ji's body, ravaging his internal systems.
But Jian Ji redirected the damage, channeling it into the one million sword spirits connected to him. They absorbed the blow on his behalf.
Unable to breach his defense, Feng Qi's Ghost Blade struck again.
Having realized the Ghost Blade's abnormality, Jian Ji's left hand also formed a sword-finger. He flicked his finger, guiding the Burning Heaven Sword to meet the attack.
The enhancement gem gleamed brightly.
The Ghost Blade, which could usually phase through matter, was actually blocked by the Burning Heaven Sword.
Both blades were stopped, but the killing intent in Feng Qi didn't diminish at all.
He threw his head back and suddenly lunged forward, head-butting Jian Ji.
At the same time, Mu Qing and Mu Yan's figures appeared on either side of him.
A blood-soaked fist and a silver dragon spear struck out together, aiming straight for Jian Ji's head.
Black, white, blood-red, fiery red, gold, and silver—six colors clashed in midair.
The bodies of the one million sword spirits behind Jian Ji radiated with all these colors too, constantly absorbing and canceling the damage inflicted upon him.