That strike carried power vast enough to swallow rivers and mountains. Under its force, the goddess statue collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Stepping across the falling rubble, Gai Nie swung Yuanhong without hesitation toward Wei Zhuang. Wei Zhuang turned and brought Sha Chi down to meet him. The blades collided in a shower of sparks—one clash, then both men were blasted apart by the violent shock.
Wei Zhuang's face was cold, his long white hair streaming. His eyes gleamed like cold stars as he lifted Sha Chi again, tapped the tumbling stones beneath his feet, and cleaved down at Gai Nie once more.
Vmmm—
Light rippled across the air; the sword glare arced like a rainbow. Driven by immense inner strength, Wei Zhuang's blade trembled with a fierce hum—proof he was striking with all his might.
Gai Nie's expression grew solemn. Yuanhong shone with a pale glow as he poured inner strength into the blade and cut forward.
Clang—
A piercing ring split the air. Sparks burst at the point of impact. The last intact portion of the statue beneath their feet could no longer endure the destruction; it, too, shattered apart.
A blood-red radiance flashed in—the chain-snake soft sword stabbed straight for his face. flower-leaves flew like knives, slicing in without mercy.
Attacks from all sides sealed off every avenue of retreat. The only "open" path left to Gai Nie was the sheer drop beneath the statue—the bottomless ravine.
He chose in an instant. Gai Nie slipped backward off the stone and plunged into the abyss. He evaded the combined strike—only to find nothing beneath his feet, falling away into empty air.
"Uncle—!" Tianming cried out from below.
"So he fell after all?" Goku watched Gai Nie plummet, smiling faintly. He knew Gai Nie would likely survive—but just in case, he decided to lend a hand. He had always admired the Sword Saint.
His figure flickered—and vanished. In the next heartbeat he reappeared, one hand catching Gai Nie's wrist, both of them hanging weightless in midair.
The sudden materialization of Goku stunned Wei Zhuang and the others; they all withdrew several steps at once.
"Much obliged," Gai Nie said calmly, gratitude in his eyes.
"So fast…"
Yue Shen and the others frowned as they watched. No one had clearly seen him move just now.
"What speed… and to walk the air itself." Meng Tian narrowed his gaze at the sky. "No wonder the National Preceptors dread him." He slashed his right hand down. "Archers—ready… loose!"
Swish, swish, swish—
Arrows poured upward like rain, a locust swarm blotting the sky, all hurtling toward Goku and Gai Nie.
Even a peerless master would find death hard to avoid beneath such a storm.
"Lord Goku, leave me and go!"
Even Gai Nie's composure broke. These were Gongshu-forged siege crossbows, terrifying in power; with tens of thousands firing at once, even the greatest master should perish.
"Xiao Pixiu, save them!" Xiao Li cried, paling.
Xiao Pixiu leapt from her arms. With a clear, dragon-like cry, golden light burst forth and, in an instant, it returned to its majestic true form.
But before the transformation finished, Goku had already acted.
"You think a volley of crossbow bolts can harm me? Ridiculous. Today, I will show you what true power is."
He regarded the oncoming rain of arrows with a calm gaze. An invisible wave surged from his body—
At that moment, Wei Zhuang and the others witnessed a sight they would never forget.
The arrow storm froze in the air as if time itself had stopped. Then, before everyone's incredulous eyes, the bolts unraveled—crumbling to nothing. In the span of a breath, the black rain vanished from the sky without a trace.
"W-what… what happened?"
"The arrows—are gone…"
"What did he do…?"
"He isn't human… he can't be human…"
Terror rippled through the already-frightened Qin soldiers. They felt, keenly, that the opponent before them was no longer a man, but a god—one who stood beyond their reach. How could human strength contend with a god?
Wei Zhuang frowned and, with Chi Lian and the others, quietly withdrew from the field.
Bodies stiffened, resolve wavered. Even with strict discipline, the soldiers' will to fight bled away. This was beyond the realm of human struggle.
Gongshu Chou stared, wide-eyed. His proudest mechanisms—neutralized as if they were nothing.
Tianming and the others could only gape.
Meng Tian's face darkened. This was the dread he had feared. He knew better than anyone the power of a massed volley from tens of thousands of siege crossbows. Any "top master" should have died where he flew. And yet—Goku stood untouched.
To pit an empire against such a foe was to invite catastrophe. He feared no encirclement by masters, no storm of arrows, no human wave; the man could walk the air itself. It was an impossible problem. The task His Majesty had given him… was like climbing to heaven.
If such a being chose to assassinate the Emperor—who could stop him? A chill spread through Meng Tian's chest. The sense of crisis was overwhelming.
And yet, their fear had only just begun.
Goku flashed to Xiao Li's side, set Gai Nie down, and calmed the incensed Xiao Pixiu before it could unleash carnage. He swept his gaze over the Qin ranks and, seeing the terror in their eyes, spoke lightly:
"I warned you. Do not provoke me again. Otherwise, I won't mind erasing your entire empire. It seems you took my words as a passing breeze."
"Arrogant!" Meng Tian snapped. "Your martial prowess may be unmatched in this age, but to annihilate Great Qin alone? Dream on. Do you take our million soldiers for decorations?"
"A 'million' is just a number," Goku replied, tone flat. "To destroy them… would take a single thought."
The contempt in his voice ignited Meng Tian's fury. It insulted the honor of his soldiers and the dignity of Great Qin—an affront to be washed away only with blood.
"If you boast so boldly, then show me the strength to match those words!"
Meng Tian barked, "Soldiers—form up!"
At his command, the Qin troops drew themselves upright. Seeing their towering general restored their center; fear ebbed, resolve returned, and the eyes of field-hardened men steadied again. Such was Meng Tian's place in their hearts—his presence alone could gather their courage.
But today, they would learn what true terror meant. The gulf between man and god cannot be bridged by numbers.
Goku extended a single finger. A jade-green flame flickered to life upon its tip.
In the breeze it wavered, fragile as a candle flame—so faint it seemed it might go out at any moment, hardly worth a second glance.
Yet from the instant it appeared, Yue Shen and the others felt their faces harden. That tiny flame radiated danger of the highest order.
"All of you—come stand by me," Goku said to Xiao Li and the rest. They understood at once and gathered around him without hesitation.
Gai Nie watched the small flame with sharpened focus. He could not sense its true nature, but his instincts screamed: deadly.
"Attack!"
At Meng Tian's order, the Qin soldiers brandished their spears and thrust as one—an impenetrable forest of points stabbing toward Goku and his companions. So dense, there was no room to dodge.
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